SCOTLAND

Television Screens

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many plasma television screens have been purchased by his Department, and at what cost, in the last 24 months.

David Cairns: None.

TREASURY

Banking Services

Howard Stoate: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance he has issued to financial institutions on  (a) the level of identification required in order to open a bank account and  (b) access to banking services for those who do not possess standard forms of identification.

Angela Eagle: Under the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 customers opening a bank account must satisfy the relevant financial institution as to their identity. Financial institutions are also required to maintain appropriate records and monitor accounts.
	The regulations do not prescribe that customers must produce particular documents such as a driving license or passport.
	Guidance from the Joint Money Laundering Steering Group provides advice on the identification and verification requirements that financial institutions must apply. That guidance was updated in 2007, and was approved by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. It is available at:
	http://www.jmlsg.org.uk/bba/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=749
	That guidance sets out the standard evidence that private individuals might usually provide. It also addresses the particular situation of those at risk of financial exclusion where the usual evidence may not be available. In these cases "non-standard" evidence can be accepted.
	The guidance specifically discourages financial institutions from declining to open an account because "non-standard" evidence is produced.

Departmental Internet

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1047W, on departmental intranet, how many Wikipedia entries have been  (a) created and  (b) amended from departmental IP addresses.

Angela Eagle: The information requested could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

Research and Development Tax Credit

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  when he expects the European Commission to approve Budget 2006 measures relating to research and development tax credits; what recent discussions his Department has had with the Commission and EU counterparts on the measures; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what consideration has been given to the retrospective application of Budget 2006 measures relating to research and development tax credits once EC approval has been granted; what estimate has been made of the number of companies who will be included as a consequence of an increase in the SME headcount as it relates to the 2006 measures; what estimate has been made of the costs involved in applying the changes retrospectively; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: Since the announcement of the extension to mid-sized companies in Budget 2006, the Government announced further changes to the small and medium-sized (SME) Research and Development (R and D) tax credit and the Vaccines Research Relief (VRR) in Budget 2007, which were added to the notification of the change of the aids. The European Commission (EC) has also introduced a new framework for Research, Development and Innovation (R and D and I) State aids.
	So that the previous changes meet the requirements of the EC's new R and D and I framework, and hence gain State aid approval, Budget 2008 announced changes to the eligibility criteria for claiming the SME R and D tax credit and VRR.
	Legislation included in Finance Act 2007 made provision for the doubling of the SME size criteria from a date not earlier than 1 April 2007. Estimates at that time suggested that around 100 to 200 companies would benefit at a cost of around £40 million a year.
	As a result of ongoing discussions and the Budget 2008 changes, the Government hope to receive approval of the changes announced in Budget 2006 and 2007 shortly. Once approval is received, the Government will make an announcement about the date from which these three changes will take effect.

Suicide

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of deaths from suicide in each of the last five years were  (a) male and  (b) female; and what proportion of deaths fell into each age decile.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 20 March 2008:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what proportion of deaths from suicide in each of the last five years were (a) male and (b) female; and what proportion of deaths fell in each age decile.
	Table 1 below, contains the number and proportion of suicides by sex, in England and Wales from 2002 to 2006, the latest year for which data are available. Tables 2 and 3 show, respectively, the number and proportions of suicides in ten-year age groups.
	As there were only 18 suicides in this five-year period of children aged under 15, these deaths are not included in the tables below.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number and proportion of deaths from suicide( 1)  and injury/poisoning of undetermined intent( 2) , by sex, people aged 15 and over, England and Wales, 2002 to 2006( 3) 
			   Males  Females 
			   Number of deaths  Percentage  Number of deaths  Percentage 
			 2002 3,533 74 1,218 26 
			 2003 3,580 75 1,216 25 
			 2004 3,576 73 1,295 27 
			 2005 3,481 74 1,221 26 
			 2006 3,380 75 1,124 25 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of deaths from suicide( 1)  and injury/poisoning of undetermined intent( 2) , by age group, people aged 15 and over, England and Wales, 2002 to 2006( 3) 
			   15-24  25-34  35-44  45-54  55-64  65-74  75-84  85 and over  15 and over 
			 2002 475 1,009 1,104 852 563 364 254 130 4,751 
			 2003 492 954 1,141 847 598 347 302 115 4,796 
			 2004 476 896 1,151 889 608 396 315 140 4,871 
			 2005 445 830 1,131 930 633 338 260 135 4,702 
			 2006 399 748 1,066 893 692 340 256 110 4,504 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3 :  Proportion  of deaths from suicide( 1)  and injury/poisoning of undetermined intent( 2) , people aged 15 and over, England and Wales, 2002 to 2006( 3) 
			  Percentage 
			   15-24  25-34  35-44  45-54  55-64  65-74  75-84  85 and over  15 and over 
			 2002 10 21 23 18 12 8 5 3 100 
			 2003 10 20 24 18 13 7 6 2 100 
			 2004 10 18 24 18 13 8 7 3 100 
			 2005 10 18 24 20 14 7 6 3 100 
			 2006 9 17 24 20 15 8 6 2 100 
			 (1) The cause of death for suicide was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84. (2) In England and Wales, it has been customary to assume that most injuries and poisonings of undetermined intent, in those aged 15 and over, are cases where the harm was self-inflicted but there was insufficient evidence to prove that the deceased deliberately intended to kill themselves. ONS therefore includes in its suicide statistics both those deaths from intentional self-harm, and those from injury/poisoning of undetermined intent. The cause of death for injury/poisoning of undetermined intent was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes Y10-Y34 excluding Y33.9 where the coroner's verdict was pending. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

Welfare Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2008,  Official Report, column 131W, on welfare tax credits, how many households  (a) were owed tax credit payments which were delayed for more than four weeks and  (b) owed tax credit repayments which they delayed repaying for more than four weeks.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not available.

Welfare Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the tax credit entitlement is for households earning  (a) £10,000,  (b) £15,000 and  (c) £20,000 with (i) one, (ii) two and (iii) three children for (A) a two parent, single earner household, (B) a two parent, double earner household and (C) a single parent working household.

Angela Eagle: For information on 2007-08 child and working tax credit entitlements for families with at least one adult working 30 hours or more a week, and with one, two or three children, I refer the right hon. Member to the HMRC leaflet WTC2. This can be found on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits/forms-leaflets.htm

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

CDC

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will place in the Library copies of the accounts of CDC subsidiary companies.

Douglas Alexander: CDC had 79 subsidiary companies at 31 December 2007, registered throughout its target markets. Where they are required to do so by their relevant regulatory authorities, these subsidiary companies file their accounts in those countries and with those authorities. Accounts are therefore not available from CDC, but from the regulatory authorities in the countries in question.

CDC: Tax Havens

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what reports he has received of the alleged use of tax havens by  (a) CDC and its subsidiaries and  (b) Actis and its subsidiaries; what assessment he has made of these reports; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The former Secretary of State received advice about the tax position of Globeleq, CDC's energy subsidiary, when it was established in 2002. He was advised by the Department for International Development and CDC's financial advisers that an onshore structure would not have attracted investors. Bermuda was chosen because its corporate law is similar to the UK's and a Bermudan domicile may have facilitated subsequent listing of Globeleq on a US exchange. This advice was considered and accepted.
	I have not received any specific reports regarding alleged use of tax havens.

Departmental Publications

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's staff handbook.

Douglas Alexander: DFID's staff handbook has been replaced by a new web-based system available to all DFID staff on the Department's intranet. It is not available in hard copy because of the practical difficulties of keeping the information up to date.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what financial contribution his Department made to the United Nations Development Programme Trust Fund to support the work of Quartet Special Envoy, James Wolfensohn, in  (a) 2004 and  (b) 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) support to Quartet Special Envoy James Wolfensohn began in 2005. DFID provided £70,000 to fund an Aid Management Specialist. A further £28,000 for that position was provided in 2006. In addition, DFID seconded a member of its own staff to the team from June 2005 to early 2006.

Sudan: Overseas Aid

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government has taken to assist aid organisations with the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.

Gareth Thomas: The UK is the second largest bilateral humanitarian donor to Sudan. Since April 2004 we have given over £158 million to aid agencies delivering vital assistance to those in need in Darfur.

Sudan: Overseas Aid

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent progress the Government has made in assisting UNAMID in managing the financial aspects of providing aid to the people of Darfur.

Gareth Thomas: The UK Government are supporting the efforts of the UN and African Union to deploy the UNAMID peacekeeping force in full in Darfur, including through the training and equipping of African troop-contributing countries. UNAMID co-ordinates closely with the UN agencies and non-governmental humanitarian organisations in Darfur to protect civilians and enable provision of aid in the region, and recently escorted non-governmental humanitarian organisations to deliver aid following fighting in West Darfur.
	The UK has provided £158 million in humanitarian support to Darfur since 2004. My right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for International Development and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in a joint statement on 27 February, reiterated that we will continue to work closely with the UN and others in providing humanitarian assistance to Darfur.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcohol Disorder Zones

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has spent in planning and consulting on alcohol disorder zones.

Jacqui Smith: The planning and consultation work in respect of Alcohol Disorder Zones includes developing the original policy, taking forward legislation through Parliament (the provisions are now set out in the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006) and more recently developing the regulations and accompanying guidance.
	This work has been undertaken by a small number of officials who have worked on this policy area, in addition to other duties. It is not possible to quantify the cost or the time that has been spent working and consulting on this policy area.

Alcoholic Drinks: Arrests

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evaluation has been carried out of the alcohol arrest referral pilots announced in October 2007.

Jacqui Smith: No evaluation has been carried out at this stage. However interim findings about re-offending will be available by December 2008, while a final report into re-offending will be available by summer 2009.
	We hope to use the information gathered from the pilots to establish good practice, including what works for different cultural groups and different genders, and to identify the benefits to local areas of prioritising existing resources in their own alcohol referral schemes.

Alcoholic Drinks: Crime

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) prosecutions and  (b) convictions there were for alcohol-related offences in each of the last five years, broken down by (i) region and (ii) offence committed.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested covering offences of (a) Drunkenness, (b) Drunkenness with aggravation, (c) Offences against the licensing acts, (d) other offences against intoxicating liquor laws, (e) selected motoring offences is provided in the following table.
	With the exception of these offences, it is not possible to separately identify whether prosecutions for other offences were alcohol related from the data reported to the Ministry of Justice.
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for selected alcohol related offences, by offence class and region, England and Wales 2002-06( 1, 2, 3) 
			Prosecuted  Guilty 
			   Offence class and region  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 140  Drunkenness, simple( 4)   
			  North East 115 101 107 117 137 106 88 94 103 110 
			  North West 300 174 123 138 138 262 149 106 121 121 
			  Yorkshire and Humberside 274 271 210 159 176 202 222 166 124 134 
			  East Midlands 121 88 74 43 37 107 78 64 36 29 
			  West Midlands 131 147 170 211 308 109 123 132 170 253 
			  East of England 286 327 272 210 169 264 293 242 191 153 
			  London 262 251 195 151 134 228 210 162 124 114 
			  South East 603 563 480 343 306 541 486 418 306 282 
			  South West 435 382 326 288 266 382 350 290 261 236 
			  Wales 340 336 294 272 172 309 300 274 255 150 
			  England and Wales 2,867 2,640 2,251 1,932 1,843 2,510 2,299 1,948 1,691 1,582 
			 141  Drunkenness, with aggravation( 5)   
			  North East 4,785 5,292 5,002 5,149 4,756 4,022 4,553 4,437 4,740 4,437 
			  North West 6,564 6,420 3,799 2,036 1,991 5,249 5,174 3,130 1,741 1,664 
			  Yorkshire and Humberside 4,040 4,508 2,266 1,625 2,305 2,240 2,670 1,625 1,264 1,743 
			  East Midlands 1,459 1,535 1,154 570 608 1,141 1,233 960 464 511 
			  West Midlands 1,317 1,246 1,382 1,158 1,452 1,061 1,029 1,128 980 1,242 
			  East of England 1,784 1,620 1,319 981 814 1,539 1,434 1,138 865 731 
			  London 2,577 2,586 1,284 1,010 1,216 2,103 2,141 1,055 847 1,005 
			  South East 4,259 4,439 3,392 1,812 1,439 3,369 3,661 2,791 1,538 1,260 
			  South West 2,350 2,270 1,472 913 922 2,017 1,998 1,286 760 769 
			  Wales 1,931 1,719 1,834 1,385 905 1,647 1,505 1,635 1,178 790 
			  England and Wales 31,066 31,635 22,904 16,639 16,408 24,388 25,398 19,185 14,377 14,152 
			 142  Offences by licenced person, etc( 6)   
			  North East 17 50 72 98 52 13 38 51 69 30 
			  North West 130 237 264 251 180 90 158 182 189 111 
			  Yorkshire and Humberside 25 23 67 49 28 18 12 49 29 17 
			  East Midlands 17 83 43 72 71 14 52 25 34 41 
			  West Midlands 22 72 100 130 54 14 62 84 103 48 
			  East of England 12 28 41 43 70 9 15 20 32 56 
			  London 27 137 182 276 184 17 89 152 223 141 
			  South East 21 33 72 63 68 11 23 40 37 32 
			  South West 9 26 45 99 34 6 18 21 40 16 
			  Wales 43 53 99 96 92 28 36 59 71 74 
			  England and Wales 323 742 985 1,177 833 220 503 683 827 566 
			 143  Other offences against  i ntoxicating  l iquor  l aws( 7)   
			  North East 24 23 25 30 47 16 17 17 24 34 
			  North West 32 46 54 44 157 23 29 43 32 125 
			  Yorkshire and Humberside 9 11 11 10 109 5 8 10 8 46 
			  East Midlands 15 10 18 14 72 12 5 6 8 51 
			  West Midlands 23 30 22 14 95 12 19 14 8 71 
			  East of England 11 8 20 12 91 8 6 15 9 65 
			  London 53 54 32 40 159 41 38 21 29 118 
			  South East 14 13 14 26 79 8 10 10 18 50 
			  South West 3 9 13 23 32 2 4 8 18 20 
			  Wales 21 21 39 27 62 11 13 19 23 44 
			  England and Wales 205 225 248 240 903 138 149 163 177 624 
			   Causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs( 8)   
			 406 North East 3 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 
			  North West 5 2 2 4 6 10 5 6 7 9 
			  Yorkshire and Humberside 6 2 5 6 5 6 5 7 10 7 
			  East Midlands 6 8 3 7 10 4 9 12 10 4 
			  West Midlands 5 5 5 9 9 5 6 6 8 11 
			  East of England 10 5 7 4 8 11 7 7 5 8 
			  London 1 3 4 2 2 3 4 8 6 1 
			  South East 9 10 10 11 11 14 9 7 11 12 
			  South West 5 5 6 7 4 7 7 6 5 8 
			  Wales 2 2 — 2 5 4 6 1 2 3 
			  England and Wales 52 44 43 54 62 66 60 62 66 65 
			 803  Driving etc, after consuming alcohol or taking drugs( 9)   
			  North East 4,323 4,552 4,665 4,377 4,275 4,032 4,177 4,366 4,138 4,069 
			  North West 11,676 12,048 12,530 12,060 12,043 10,923 11,327 11,822 11,425 11,414 
			  Yorkshire and Humberside 7,703 8,107 8,323 8,492 7,923 7,157 7,555 7,862 8,020 7,539 
			  East Midlands 5,329 6,523 6,949 6,631 6,677 5,005 6,138 6,621 6,216 6,330 
			  West Midlands 8,829 9,091 9,463 9,640 9,625 8,276 8,566 8,886 9,137 9,130 
			  East of England 8,264 8,709 9,122 8,672 9,061 7,800 8,178 8,605 8,234 8,679 
			  London 13,418 12,945 13,258 13,080 13,087 12,066 11,613 12,040 11,925 12,181 
			  South East 14,684 13,921 13,929 13,137 12,583 13,726 13,040 13,122 12,458 11,962 
			  South West 7,637 8,194 8,097 7,869 7,527 7,206 7,697 7,662 7,452 7,106 
			  Wales 5,592 5,913 5,986 5,904 5,882 5,242 5,491 5,611 5,535 5,565 
			  England and Wales 87,455 90,003 92,322 89,862 88,683 81,433 83,782 86,597 84,540 83,975 
			 (1) These data are provided on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces and courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) The found guilty column may exceed those proceeded against, as it may be the case that the proceedings in the magistrates' court took place in the proceeding year and they were found guilty at the Crown Court in the following year or for a different offence. (4) Includes offences of being found drunk in a highway or public place, drunk in a vehicle or drunk white entering a designated sports event. (5) Includes offences of being guilty white drunk of disorderly behaviour, drunk with a loaded firearm and refusing to leave licensed premises when requested. (6) Offences by license holders only. Includes offences of the illegal sale of alcohol and failure to follow licensing regulations. (7) Offences by non-license holders: Includes offences of falsely claiming to be a licensee and illegally supplying alcohol to children. (8) Offence cannot separately identify whether drink or drugs specifically were involved. (9) Offence covers summary offences of driving eta after consuming alcohol or taking drugs (which cannot reliably be distinguished separately).  Source: Court proceedings database—Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Ministry of Justice.

Alcoholic Drinks: Enforcement

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people  (a) were proceeded against for,  (b) were convicted of and  (c) received a level 2 fine for the offence of refusing to surrender alcohol in a designated public place in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many people  (a) were proceeded against for,  (b) were convicted of and  (c) received a level 2 fine for the offence of not obeying an instruction to stop drinking in a designated public place in each of the last three years.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 12 March 2008
	Refusing to surrender alcohol in a designated public place and not obeying an instruction to stop drinking both come within the terms of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 S.12(2)(a), (2), and (4). On this basis, the number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty at all courts and given a level 2 fine (maximum given is £500) for the offence of 'failure to comply with a requirement by a constable re: the consumption of alcohol in a designated public place' in England and Wales for the years 2004 to 2006 (latest available) can be viewed in the following tables.
	The prosecution statistics and PND offence of 'failure to comply with a requirement by a constable re: the consumption of alcohol in a designated public place', section 12 of the CJPA 2001, includes the offences of failure to surrender alcohol to a constable (section 12(2) of the CJPA) and failure to comply with an instruction not to consume alcohol in a designated public place (section 12(4). The figures in both PQs are therefore the same.
	In addition, under the Penalty Notice for Disorder (PND) Scheme, fixed penalty notices of £50 may be issued by the police for the offence of consumption of alcohol in a designated public place. The number of PNDs issued for the offence in England and Wales was 485 in 2004, 712 in 2005, and 1,061 in 2006.
	Court proceedings and penalty notice for disorder data for 2007 will be available in the autumn of 2008.
	
		
			  Number of persons given a level 2 fine for the offence 'failure to comply with a requirement by a constable re: the consumption of alcohol in a designated public place'( 1)  in England and Wales for the years 2004 to 2006( 2, 3) 
			  Value of fine  2004  2005  2006 
			 up to and including £25 24 13 12 
			 over £25 and up to £50 36 29 38 
			 over £50 and up to £100 16 19 8 
			 over £100 and up to £150 1 1 1 
			 over £150 and up to £200 1 0 0 
			 over £200 and up to £250 0 1 0 
			 over £250 0 0 0 
			 Total 78 63 59 
			 (1) Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 S.12(2)(a) and (4). (2) These data are on the principal offence basis. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Sources: Court proceedings data held by RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for the offence 'failure to comply with a requirement by a constable re: the consumption of alcohol in a designated public place'(1) in England and Wales for the years 2004 to 2006(2, 3) 
			   Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			 2004 122 96 
			 2005 101 76 
			 2006 101 73 
			 (1) Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 S.12(2)(a) and (4). (2) These data are on the principal offence basis. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria will be applied in determining whether a drug addiction treatment is an effective treatment for the purposes of assessing the Government's public service agreement target 25.

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
	Indicator 1 within PSA 25, states "reduce the harm caused by alcohol and drugs" measures the percentage change in the number of drug users using crack and/or opiates recorded as being in effective treatment.
	For the purpose of assessment against this measure, effective treatment is defined as:
	"discharged from the treatment system 12 weeks or more after triage; or that remain in treatment 12 weeks after triage; or that were discharge in less than 12 weeks in a care planned way".
	Evidence shows that staying in treatment for 12 weeks has a lasting positive impact and is therefore a measure of successful treatment.
	Progress will be assessed annually, on the basis of a financial year, against the baseline year 2007-08.

Firearms: Registration

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of  (a) the annual cost to public authorities of firearm registration and  (b) the annual income from registration charges in each of the last five years.

Jacqui Smith: The cost to the police of administering the provisions of the Firearms Acts is not recorded centrally. We are however working with the Association of Chief Police Officers to develop means of identifying expenditure which relates specifically to the grant of licences for which a charge may be levied. Estimated annual income for the last five years for which information is available on the number of certificates issued is as follows:
	
		
			   £  million 
			 2001 9.6 
			 2002-03 8.0 
			 2003-04 2.5 
			 2004-05 4.3 
			 2005-06 8.8

Foreign Workers: Vetting

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether Government Departments that employ foreign nationals request the equivalent of a Criminal Records Bureau check from that person's country of origin.

Tom Watson: I have been asked to reply.
	All prospective employees, including foreign nationals, in Government Departments are required to make a declaration of any unspent criminal convictions. As many countries do not offer a criminal records service the Cabinet Office advises departments to ask applicants to produce verifiable police certificates where these are available or other references of good conduct in respect of overseas residence.

Hunting: Dogs

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to enforce compliance with the ban on hunting with dogs; and what progress has been made on improving the detection of illegal hunting.

Vernon Coaker: Police have stated their commitment to enforcing the Hunting Act. The Government continues to meet with interested stakeholders and to work closely with the police, through the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) to identify what more can be done to ensure the Hunting Act is effectively and appropriately enforced and to improve detection of illegal hunting.
	The Association of Chief Police Officers have conducted a survey of local police forces' response to enforcement of the Hunting Act which will inform practical best-practice guidance. The Government are also working with ACPO on ways to raise awareness of issues surrounding enforcement of the Hunting Act across the police service, and to communicate the importance of visible enforcement to community policing in rural areas and to the maintenance of public order.
	We are also working closely with the Attorney General about what more can be done to secure prosecutions where evidence has been presented of Hunting Act offences being committed. The Attorney-General in turn has agreed to raise the issue of the burden of proof in hunting cases with the Director of Public Prosecutions, and to engage with local Crown Prosecution Service leads to better understand and then communicate, the evidence needed to bring forward successful prosecutions.
	26 individuals have now been convicted of offences under the hunting Act 2004 which does show that the legislation is enforceable when the evidence presents itself.

Internet: Crime

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate her Department has made of the cost of cyber-crime to the UK economy in the next 12 months.

Jacqui Smith: No estimate has been made.
	The Government works very closely with law enforcement, industry and financial institutions in order to combat crimes committed over the internet, including through initiatives such as GetSafeOnline.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Alcoholic Drinks: Crime

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons were arrested for offences related to alcohol consumption in North Belfast District Command Unit in each of the last five years, broken down by  (a) age and  (b) sex.  [Official Report, 21 April 2008, Vol. 474, c. 7MC.]

Paul Goggins: The following table shows a breakdown, by gender, of persons accused of various offences considered to relate to alcohol consumption within North Belfast District Command Unit ('A' district) in each of the last five years.
	
		
			   Male  Female 
			 2007 - to date 567 97 
			 2006-07 301 42 
			 2005-06 389 62 
			 2004-05 419 80 
			 200-04 481 94 
		
	
	The PSNI were unable to provide a breakdown by age within the time constraint. Officials have requested this information and I will write to the hon. Gentleman once it is received.

Health Services: Prisoners

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the healthcare of those held in prison in Northern Ireland will become the responsibility of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.

Paul Goggins: Following agreement with DHSSPS I can confirm that responsibility will transfer on 1 April 2008.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Governance of Britain White Paper

Graham Allen: To ask the Leader of the House pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1121, on the Governance of Britain White Paper, what the outcome of the national deliberative forum on the draft legislative programme was; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: The national deliberative forum was one part of the consultation that took place on the draft legislative programme last year. I was pleased to be able to attend the event and Members of the House of Commons Select Committee on Modernisation of the House of Commons were also invited to attend. The outcomes from the deliberative forum were summarised in—"Taking a Wider View"—published in November.

Parliamentary Questions

Simon Burns: To ask the Leader of the House what assessment she has made of the completeness of information given in Answers to Parliamentary Questions.

Helen Goodman: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Clwyd, West (Mr. Jones).

Discrimination

David Davies: To ask the Leader of the House how many claims for discrimination, based on  (a) sex,  (b) race and  (c) sexual orientation, were brought by members of her staff and settled (i) in and (ii) out of court in each of the last five years.

Helen Goodman: None.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

"Women Not for Sale"

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what assessment she has made of the progress made by the Newspaper Society in revising its guidance to publishers to reflect concerns about human trafficking for sexual exploitation in response to the Government's "Women Not For Sale" initiative; and if she will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: I welcome the revised guidance from the Newspaper Society but, as this only came out last month, it is a little early to assess progress. But there are promising signs and the guidance is already helping to ensure that the society's members do not unwittingly advertise brothels in which trafficked women are being exploited.

Domestic Violence

Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what steps the Government is taking to provide long-term support to women without secure immigration status who are victims of domestic violence.

Barbara Follett: We are aware of the acute problems faced by this group of women. We will shortly be announcing details of a new scheme where victims of domestic violence, with indefinite leave to remain in the UK, may be able to have their housing and living costs met.
	The Border and Immigration Agency are working to ensure that when domestic violence applications are submitted an assessment of destitution is made, which may lead to the application fee being waived.

Flexible Working

David Evennett: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what assessment she has made of the availability of flexible working arrangements for mothers of children under 18; and if she will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: The right to request flexible working has been a great success. Nine out of 10 employers offer flexible working practices, and over seven in 10 mothers with children under 18 are working flexibly. In November 2007, the Prime Minister announced that the Government will extend further the right to flexible working, to parents of older children.
	I refer to our priorities for the Minister for Women (July 2007) for a statement on our commitment to flexible working policies.

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

David Taylor: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on progress in ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Barbara Follett: My hon. Friend the Member for Stirling (Mrs. McGuire) is Minister with responsibility for disabled people and she signed the convention on behalf of the UK Government on 30 March 2007—the first day of its opening—and I understand that the aim is to ratify by the end of the year.

Age: Discrimination

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2008,  Official Report, column 2683W, on age: discrimination, if she will place copies of the two reviews and studies in the Library.

Barbara Follett: Precise arrangements for publication have not yet been made as the research has not yet been completed. The reports will be made publicly available in due course.

Departmental Cost Effectiveness

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what progress the Government Equalities Office has made in its zero-based budget review under the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Barbara Follett: The Government Equalities Office was set up as a new Department on 12 October 2007, after the results of the 2007 comprehensive spending review were published in Meeting the aspirations of the British people: the 2007 Pre-Budget Report and Comprehensive Spending Review (Cm 7227).
	The GEO is currently examining its funding needs and the best use of resources as part of its annual business planning round.

Domestic Violence: Victim Support Schemes

John Robertson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what steps the Government plans to take to assist women who have no recourse to public funds who have been subject to domestic violence.

Barbara Follett: We are aware of the acute problems faced by women with no recourse to public funds and living in fear of violence.
	We will shortly be announcing details of a new scheme where victims of domestic violence with indefinite leave to remain, may be able to have their housing and living costs met.

Females: Crimes of Violence

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what recent steps she has taken to combat violence against women.

Barbara Follett: The Government have recently announced plans to:
	Extend the network of Sexual Assault Referral Centres to 36 by the end of this year.
	Double the number of Specialist Domestic Violence Courts to 128 by 2011 and roll out Multi-Area Risk Assessment Conferences to all areas.

Women: Sport

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what discussions she has had with other Government departments on the funding for women's sport.

Barbara Follett: Since the establishment of the Government Equalities office, the Ministers for Women and Equality have not been involved in discussions with other Government Departments on the funding for Women's sport.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Bats

Andrew Robathan: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what estimate he has made of the damage caused to historic churches by bats.

Stuart Bell: As I told the House on 29 January 2007, such figures are not held centrally but bat roosts are a significant problem in a number of churches, especially in rural areas. Many roosts are accommodated successfully but the potential for damage to important church contents is high.

Women Bishops

David Taylor: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what recent representations the Church Commissioners have received on the ordination of women as bishops.

Stuart Bell: I have been asked several questions about the matter on the floor of this House. Moreover, my hon. Friend will know that the matter will be discussed in General Synod, hopefully this July.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Campaign Spending Between Elections

Martin Linton: To ask the honourable Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what powers the Electoral Commission has to limit campaign spending before an election has been called.

Peter Viggers: Expenditure by both parties and candidates is subject to limits which apply during specified pre-election periods. Both the limits and the specified periods are set by Parliament, and the Commission has no powers to vary them.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Inquests

Norman Baker: To ask the Solicitor-General how many applications she has made under section 13 of the Coroners Act 1988 for the re-opening or re-holding of an inquest; and if she will make a statement.

Vera Baird: Under section 13 of the Coroners Act 1988 application may be made by or under the authority of the Attorney-General to the High Court for an order that an inquest or another inquest may be held.
	By virtue of s.l of the Law Officers Act 1997 the Solicitor-General may also apply or give authority for application to be made.
	In 2007 the Law Officers did not make any such applications. In 2007 the Attorney-General's Office was notified of 15 possible requests that application be made or for authority to make such an application. Authority was given in cases. The remainder were either withdrawn, refused or remain ongoing.

Crown Prosecution Service

Tom Brake: To ask the Solicitor-General what assessment she has made of the Crown Prosecution Service's response to information on crime scene profiles received from the Dutch authorities in January 2007.

Vera Baird: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to the House on 20 March 2008.

Domestic Violence: Prosecutions

John Robertson: To ask the Solicitor-General what progress has been made in improving prosecution rates in domestic violence cases.

Vera Baird: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is strongly committed to the effective prosecution of domestic violence. The successful prosecution rate in England and Wales has increased from 59.7 per cent. in 2005-06 to 69.3 per cent. in the third quarter of 2007-08. The CPS will continue to take action to seek further improvements in the prosecution rate for domestic violence cases.

Rape: Prosecutions

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Solicitor-General what assessment she has made of the rates of successful prosecution for rape; and if she will make a statement.

Vera Baird: I am satisfied that the ongoing efforts and current initiatives of the Criminal Justice Agencies (CJA) should lead to more successful prosecutions. In addition I have proposed changes concerning the way that victims' visually recorded evidence and victims' disclosure to third parties can be used at trial. I am also examining ways to inform juries about victims' psychological responses.

Rape: Prosecutions

Anne Moffat: To ask the Solicitor-General what steps the Government is taking to improve prosecution rates for rape.

Vera Baird: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) works with the police to build strong cases and empowers specialist support services to enable victims to provide best evidence. A cross-Government group is addressing local variations in performance and we are pursuing further measures to increase the range of evidence admissible in rape prosecutions.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Public Appointments

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the mandate is of the new UN special representative for Afghanistan and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan; what assessment he has made of how this differs from  (a) the mandate which Lord Ashdown was prepared to accept and  (b) the mandate of Tom Koenigs of Germany, whom the new special representative is replacing; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The mandate of the special representative of the UN Secretary-General in Afghanistan, as head of the UN Assistance Mission, is set out in the relevant resolutions of the Security Council—most recently UN Security Council Resolution 1746 (2007). The Security Council will shortly adopt a new resolution extending the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan's mandate for a further 12 months. There is broad consensus that the new resolution should put particular emphasis on the UN's crucial role in co-ordinating the overall international effort in Afghanistan.

Departmental Aviation

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many equivalent tonnes of carbon dioxide were offset by his Department for air travel through the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership programme in 2006-07; and at what cost.

Meg Munn: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will be submitting figures for air travel in 2006-07 to the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership programme in April 2008 to enable them to calculate the equivalent tonnes of carbon that we need to offset.

Diego Garcia

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 2 November 2004,  Official Report, column 225W, on Diego Garcia, on what date the British Representative on Diego Garcia most recently confirmed that there were no detainees or prison facilities associated with rendition on Diego Garcia.

David Miliband: The British Representative on Diego Garcia was present at the 2007 UK/US political-military talks, which took place in Washington on 12-13 September 2007, when the US assurances were last given.

Serbia: Foreign Relations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what Government policy is on the necessary conditions for the conclusion of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Serbia; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The Government believes that Serbia's progress towards the EU must uphold the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) conditionality and ensure this remains embedded in the accession process. We want Serbia also to be playing a constructive regional role.
	The EU General Affairs and External Relations Council conclusions of June 2007 recalled that the pace and conclusion of the negotiations on the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) would depend on Serbia's full co-operation with ICTY.
	This issue is regularly discussed within the EU. The Government would be ready—in the interests of sending a clear signal of EU commitment to Serbia's European future—to consider signature of an SAA if there were firm agreement that ICTY conditionality were to remain embedded in the accession process and to apply at the next relevant stage.

Sudan: Sanctions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions the Government has had with members of the EU on the implementation of sanctions on the Sudanese Government.

Meg Munn: The conclusions of the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council of 28 January, which my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary attended, re-stated that any party failing to engage constructively in the Darfur peace process would be considered an obstacle to peace and the EU would promote further measures against it, notably in the UN framework.
	The prospect of further UN sanctions and persuasion by the UN Secretary-General among others, helped bring the Government of Sudan to accept the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur peacekeeping force in 2007. We continue to discuss the possibility of further sanctions with other members of the UN Security Council as one of a range of measures to resolve the crisis in Darfur.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Cycling

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether  (a) his Department and  (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies provide (i) tax-free and (ii) other allowances for their staff to purchase bicycles under the cycle to work scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform loans bikes to its staff as a tax-free benefit, through a salary-sacrifice Cycle to Work scheme.
	Staff also have access to salary advances to purchase bicycles.
	Each of the Department's non-departmental public bodies has the authority to determine their own Cycle to Work schemes. Information regarding the incentives available to their staff is held by the bodies themselves. It is not held centrally.

Departmental Offices

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which agencies of his Department maintain offices overseas; in which country each office is maintained; how many staff were based in each such office in each of the last five years; and what the cost of each office was in each year.

Patrick McFadden: The following tables show RDA's inward investment offices overseas, which include details on staff and cost of each office for the last five years.
	The executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPB) do not maintain offices overseas.
	
		
			   AWM( 2)  EEDA( 1)  EMDA( 2)  LDA  NWDAs 
			   Staff  £000  Staff  £000  Staff  £000  Staff  £000  Staff  £000 
			  2002-03   
			 USA — — 3 238 — — — — 10 395 
			 Australia (4)— 12 — — — — — — — — 
			 India — 8 — — — — — — — — 
			 Japan 2 11 — — — — — — 2 125 
			 Benelux — 5 — — — — — — — — 
			 France (4)— 85 — — — — — — — — 
			 Germany 1 78 — — — — — — — — 
			 Sweden 2 75 — — — — — — — — 
			 Canada — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Singapore (4)— 59 — — — — — — — — 
			 China — — — 20 — — — — — — 
			 Korea — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Taiwan — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Rest of Asia — — — — — — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			   ONE( 3)  SEEDA  SWRDA  YF( 3) 
			   Staff  £000  Staff  £000  Staff  £000  Staff  £000 
			  2002-03 
			 USA 10 358 1 62 4 449 10 329 
			 Australia — — — — — — — — 
			 India — — — — — — — — 
			 Japan 2.5 213 2 57 3 265 — — 
			 Benelux — — — — — — — — 
			 France — — — — — — — — 
			 Germany — — — — — — — — 
			 Sweden — — — — — — — — 
			 Canada — — — — — — — — 
			 Singapore — — — — — — — — 
			 China 2 59 — — — — — — 
			 Korea 1 76 — — — — — — 
			 Taiwan 1 80 — — — — — — 
			 Rest of Asia — — — — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			   AWM( 2)  EEDA( 1)  EMDA( 2)  LDA  NWDAs 
			   Staff  £000  Staff  £000  Staff  £000  Staff  £000  Staff  £000 
			  2003-04   
			 USA 7 417 3 226 7 417 — — 10 395 
			 Australia (4)— 70 — — (4)— 62 — — — — 
			 India (4)— 50 — — (4)— 66 — — — — 
			 Japan 2 114 — — (4)— 133 — — 4 195 
			 Benelux 1 80 — — — — — — — — 
			 France 1 50 — — — — — — — — 
			 Germany 1 80 — — (4)— 70 — — — — 
			 Sweden 2 84 — — (4)— 72 — — — — 
			 Canada — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Singapore (4)— 44 — — — — — — — — 
			 China — — — 20 — — — — — — 
			 Korea — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Taiwan — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Rest of Asia — — — — (4)— 85 — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			   ONE( 3)  SEEDA  SWRDA  YF( 3) 
			   Staff  £000  Staff  £000  Staff  £000  Staff  £000 
			  2003-04 
			 USA 10 385 2 130 4 410 10 412 
			 Australia — — 1 47 — — — — 
			 India — — — — — — — — 
			 Japan 2.5 185 2 84 3 411 — — 
			 Benelux — — — — — — — — 
			 France — — — — — — — — 
			 Germany — — (4)— 101 — — — — 
			 Sweden — — — — — — — — 
			 Canada — — — — — — — — 
			 Singapore — — — — — — — — 
			 China 2 66 1 24 — — — — 
			 Korea 1 73 1 35 — — — — 
			 Taiwan 1 51 — — — — — — 
			 Rest of Asia — — — — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			   AWM( 2)  EEDA( 1)  EMDA( 2)  LDA  NWDAs 
			   Staff  £000  Staff  £000  Staff  £000  Staff  £000  Staff  £000 
			  2004-05   
			 USA 3.5 368 4 200 3.5 368 — — 12 395 
			 Australia (4)— 58 — — (4)— 60 — — (4)— 45 
			 India (4)— 78 — — (4)— 66 — — — — 
			 Japan 2 119 — — — 112 — — 4 195 
			 Benelux 1 95 — — — — — — — — 
			 France 1 109 — — — — — — — — 
			 Germany 1 80 — — (4)— 73 — — — — 
			 Sweden 2 85 — — (4)— 72 — — — — 
			 Canada 1 35 — — — — — — — — 
			 Singapore — 127 — — — — — — — — 
			 China — — — 20 — — — — — — 
			 Korea — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Rest of Asia — — — — — 71 — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			   ONE( 3)  SEEDA  SWRDA  YF( 3) 
			   Staff  £000  Staff  £000  Staff  £000  Staff  £000 
			  2004-05 
			 USA 12 370 2 145 3 149 12 352 
			 Australia (4)— 55 1 50 (4)— 67 (4)— 45 
			 India — — — — — — — — 
			 Japan 4 203 2 73 3 340 4 182 
			 Benelux — — — — — — — — 
			 France — — — — — — — — 
			 Germany — — (4)— 69 — — — — 
			 Sweden — — — — — — — — 
			 Canada — — — — — — — — 
			 Singapore — — — — — — — — 
			 China 3 79 1 28 (4)— 50 (4)— 178 
			 Korea 1 75 1 41 — — — — 
			 Rest of Asia — — — — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			   AWM( 2)  EEDA( 1)  EMDA( 2)  LDA  NWDAs 
			   Staff  £000  Staff  £000  Staff  £000  Staff  £000  Staff  £000 
			  2005-06   
			 USA 3.5 337 4 180 3.5 337 — — 12 395 
			 Australia (4)— 31 — — (4)— 45 — — (4)— 55 
			 India (4)— 64 — — (4)— 66 — — — — 
			 Japan 2 73 — — (4)— 114 — — 4 195 
			 Benelux 1 99 — — — — — — — — 
			 France 1 112 — — (4)— 60 — — — — 
			 Germany 1 81 — — (4)— 94 — — — — 
			 Sweden 2 86 — — (4)— 80 — — — — 
			 Canada — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Singapore — — — — — — — — — — 
			 China — — (4)— 50 — — — — — — 
			 Korea — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Norway — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Rest of Asia — — — — — — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			   ONE( 3)  SEEDA  SWRDA  YF( 3) 
			   Staff  £000  Staff  £000  Staff  £000  Staff  £000 
			  2005-06 
			 USA 12 364 2 155 (4)— 122 12 364 
			 Australia (4)— 55 1 50 (4)— 70 (4)— 55 
			 India — — — — — — — — 
			 Japan 4 183 2 70 3 398 4 158 
			 Benelux — — — — — — — — 
			 France — — 1 27 — — — — 
			 Germany 1 28 — — — — — — 
			 Sweden — — — — — — — — 
			 Canada — — — — — — — — 
			 Singapore — — — — — — — — 
			 China 3 98 1 28 (4)— 82 (4)— 29 
			 Korea 1 75 1 50 — — — — 
			 Norway 1 33 — — — — — — 
			 Rest of Asia — — — — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			   AWM( 2)  EEDA( 1)  EMDA( 2)  LDA  NWDAs 
			   Staff  £000  Staff  £000  Staff  £000  Staff  £000  Staff  £000 
			  2006-07   
			 USA 3 338 1 114 3 338 — — 12 395 
			 Australia (4)— 38 — — (4)— 47 — — (4)— 78 
			 India (4)— 41 — — (4)— 36 — — — — 
			 Japan 2 76 — — (4)— 92 — — 4 195 
			 Benelux 1 74 — — — — — — — — 
			 France 1 114 — — (4)— 69 — — — — 
			 Germany 1 83 — — (4)— 87 — — — — 
			 Sweden (4)— 128 — — (4)— 76 — — — — 
			 Canada — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Singapore — — — — — — — — — — 
			 China — — — — — — 3 261 — — 
			 Korea — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Rest of Asia — — — — — — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			   ONE( 3)  SEEDA  SWRDA  YF( 3) 
			   Staff  £000  Staff  £000  Staff  £000  Staff  £000 
			  2006-07 
			 USA 12 239 5 380 (4)— 131 12 239 
			 Australia (4)— 78 1 50 (4)— 69.5 (4)— 78 
			 India — — — — — — — — 
			 Japan 4 227 1 57 4 213 4 168.5 
			 Benelux — — — — — — — — 
			 France — — 1 87 — — — — 
			 Germany — — (4)— 89 — — — — 
			 Sweden — — — — — — — — 
			 Canada — — — — — — — — 
			 Singapore — — — — — — — — 
			 China 3 135 1 38 (4)— 57 (4)— 77 
			 Korea 1 54 — — — — — — 
			 Rest of Asia — — — — (4)— 134 — — 
			 (1) EEDA contribute to the East of England partnership office in Jiangsu Province, China. Collaboration with Essex county council and China British Business Council. No staff employed by EEDA. (2) AWM and EMDA jointly fund inward investment activity in USA, Japan, India, Australia, and Sweden as 'British Midlands'. Individual financial contributions are shown. Staff figures shown are the total number in that office. (3 )NWDA, ONE, and YF jointly fund inward investment activity in USA, Japan (from 2004-05), and Australia. Individual financial contributions are shown. Staff figures shown are the total number in that office. (4 )Where consultancy services are used, rather than staff paid for by the RDA.

Post Offices

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 
	(1)  how many of the Crown Post Offices currently operated by Post Office Ltd. that are not listed in the Post Office Network Consultation document as proposed for closure are franchised;
	(2)  whether new franchisees taking over Crown Post Offices have a legal obligation to maintain a post office function in the building in which they maintain a franchise;
	(3)  for what length of time the Post Office franchisees taking over Crown Post Offices have a legal obligation to maintain a post office function before renewal;
	(4)  how many of the Crown Post Offices operated by Post Office Ltd. were franchised in each year since 2002, broken down by local authority area.

Patrick McFadden: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd (POL). I have therefore asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of POL to reply direct to the hon. Member.
	Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Post Offices: Rural Areas

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which local authorities have expressed an interest in participating in a strategy to retain post offices in rural areas.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 18 March 2008
	Local authorities interested in retaining post office service provision in their areas are contacting Post Office Ltd about this. I have therefore asked Alan Cook, its Managing Director, to reply direct to the hon. Member listing the local authorities which have expressed a serious interest in maintaining post office service provision at specific offices by means of local government funding.
	Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Postal Workers: Dogs

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many cases of dogs attacking postmen have been reported in each of the last three years.

Patrick McFadden: This is an operational matter for Royal Mail. I have therefore asked Adam Crozier, Chief Executive of Royal Mail to reply direct to my hon. Friend.
	Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Regeneration: Coastal Areas

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department is taking to encourage economic regeneration in coastal resorts.

Patrick McFadden: The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) is the lead Government Department for the Regional Economic Performance Public Service Agreement. It also leads on sponsorship of the nine English Regional Development Agencies (RDAs).
	The RDAs have an important role to play, with other partners, in helping coastal areas in their regions to achieve their full economic potential, as part of wider regional strategies to deliver sustainable growth. The South East of England Development Agency (SEEDA) is setting up an RDA-led Coastal Areas Network, which will include local authorities and other regeneration practitioners from the public and private sector. BERR is working closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) in supporting the Network. The Network is expected to hold its first meeting in June.
	The work of the Network will feed into the economic development strategies which several RDAs are preparing for their own coastal areas to unlock their economic potential.
	Last year, BERR held a policy seminar on coastal towns and is a member of the cross-Whitehall Coastal Towns Working Group.

Road Traffic: East of England

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2008, Question 193055, whether the East of England Regional Development Agency has consulted Essex County Council on the proposed study into the case of congestion in the East of England; and when the agency plans to make the details of the proposed study available to  (a) Essex County Council and  (b) other stakeholders.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 18 March 2008
	Essex county council has been consulted on the proposed study, firstly through its membership and participation at meetings of the Regional Transport Forum and the East of England Directors of Environment and Transport (EEDET) Strategic Transport Sub-Group, and secondly through a study workshop for local authorities, at which an Essex county council representative was present.
	Details of the study are already available to Essex county council and other stakeholders, and will continue to be so until the study completion in June 2008, at which point the final study report will be available to Essex county council and other stakeholders.
	http://www.eeda.org.uk/press_pub_3880.asp

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Wastes

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to restrict the periods during which slurry may be spread.

Phil Woolas: We are currently considering responses to the recent consultation on how to implement the Nitrates Directive in England before making recommendations on how to proceed. A report presenting a summary of the consultation results will be published on the DEFRA website in spring 2008.

Birds: Game

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what arrangements are in place to regulate the practice of shooting birds for sport.

Joan Ruddock: Section 2 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (the 1981 Act) sets out the hunting seasons for species listed on schedule 2, part 1. Section 5 of the 1981 Act prohibits certain methods of killing or taking wild birds. Hunting seasons for game birds are contained in section 3 of the Game Act 1831.
	Natural England can grant licences under section 16 of the 1981 Act to enable the hunting of species not listed on schedule 2, part 1. These are usually issued to enable falconers to hunt certain species.
	Anyone shooting birds for sport must be in possession of a valid shotgun licence or firearms certificate.

Brofiscin Quarry

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason Brabners Chaffee Street, Solicitors have been engaged by the Environment Agency in respect of Brofiscin Quarry.

Paul Murphy: I have been asked to reply.
	The Environment Agency instructed Brabners Chaffe Street LLP, a firm of external solicitors, to act on its behalf in respect of statements made by Mr. Douglas Gowan regarding an employee of the Environment Agency.

Brofiscin Quarry

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his timetable is for the publication of remediation options at Brofiscin Quarry; and what the costs are of such options.

Paul Murphy: I have been asked to reply.
	In accordance with the relevant legislation and statutory guidance, the Environment Agency is currently concluding its remediation options appraisal for Brofiscin quarry. Regulation 15 and schedule 3 of the Contaminated Land (Wales) Regulations 2001 prescribes the information required under section 78R Environmental Protection Act 1990 Act to be placed on a public register. The contaminated land regime does not state when that information should be added to the public register, however, the Environment Agency intends to place it on the public register as soon as reasonably practicable after it is generated.

Brofiscin Quarry

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his timetable is for the publication of a list of appropriate persons in respect of the ongoing pollution of surface and groundwater at Brofiscin.

Paul Murphy: I have been asked to reply.
	The Environment Agency is still making its determination of 'Appropriate Persons' in accordance with the relevant legislation and statutory guidance.
	Regulation 15 and schedule 3 of the Contaminated Land (Wales) Regulations 2001 prescribes the detail required under section 78R Environmental Protection Act 1990 Act to be placed on a public register. The contaminated land regime does not prescribe a timetable for completion of the investigation, nor does it state when details should be added to the public register. The Environment Agency intends to place the required information on the public register as soon as reasonably practicable after it is generated.

Eaga

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the value was of the contracts between his Department and Eaga in the latest period for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: Between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2008, DEFRA has allocated approximately £350 million to the Warm Front Scheme managed by Eaga plc.

Endangered Species: Birds

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what arrangements are in place to protect endangered birds in the United Kingdom.

Joan Ruddock: All wild birds are protected in the UK under the EC directive on the conservation of wild birds ("the Birds directive"), which is implemented in Great Britain by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Habitats Regulations 1994. Similar provisions are in place in Northern Ireland.
	Species that are at risk from their international trade are also subject to controls under EU regulations that implement the convention on the international trade in endangered species (CITES). In accordance with Council Regulation 338/97, such species, notably birds of prey, require the issuance of permits or certificates before they can be commercially traded internationally. Such permits or certificates are issued dependent on a non-detriment finding assessment.

Flood Control

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which internal drainage boards he has met since his appointment; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: We are in regular contact with all stakeholders including internal drainage boards (IDBs), and we recognise and support the invaluable role that they play.
	In November 2007, I met the Beverley and Holderness, Winestead, Preston, Skeffling, Keyingham, Ottringham, Thorngumbald, Market Weighton, and Lower Ouse IDBs as part of a visit to Hull.
	In addition, I attended and spoke at the Association of Drainage Authorities Annual Conference in October 2007 to which all IDBs were invited.

Floods: South West

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what internal drainage boards (IDBs) there are in the south west of England; what discussions are planned between IDBs, the Environment Agency and the South West Regional Development Agency on flooding; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: There are six internal drainage boards (IDBs) in the south west region of the Environment Agency.
	These are the West Mendip Drainage Board, Central Somerset Consortium of Drainage Boards (which includes the Upper Axe the Upper Brue), North Somerset (2005) Drainage Board, Somerset Drainage Boards Consortium (which includes the Lower Axe, Lower Brue and Parrett), the Lower Severn Drainage Board and the Braunton Marsh Drainage Board.
	The Environment Agency has regular and ongoing discussions with the IDB's on flooding matters, more recently regarding the impact of the floods of summer 2007.
	The Environment Agency is working with the Regional Development Agency in partnership with local authorities on regeneration schemes. Where applicable the Environment Agency has involved the IDB's in discussions on strategic flood mitigation studies associated with these regeneration projects.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average contribution made by pensioners in  (a) North Durham and  (b) England to the cost of the package of insulation and heating improvements available under the Warm Front scheme was in the last two years.

Phil Woolas: Between 1 April 2006 and 25 January 2008 of those pensioner households with an excess to pay, the average contribution made to the Warm Front Scheme for  (a) North Durham was £459.74, and  (b) England was £502.92.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what systems are in place to monitor value for money under the Warm Front scheme.

Phil Woolas: Warm Front is subject to twice yearly performance reviews by DEFRA's independent quality assessors to ensure that the scheme is providing value for money. These assessors also provide ad hoc reviews of individual elements of Warm Front operation, as required.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many small firms took part in the tendering process for the Warm Front scheme.

Phil Woolas: The scheme manager received approximately 700 expressions of interest from potential Warm Front contractors.
	These companies were not categorised by size, and we therefore do not hold figures for the number which could be classified as small businesses.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the turnover is of each firm involved in the WarmFront scheme.

Phil Woolas: My Department does not centrally hold information on financial turnover of firms working on Warm Front.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme: Finance

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much he has allocated to Warm Front for each financial year between 2008 and 2011; what Warm Front's budget was for 2007-08; and what estimate he has made of the number of vulnerable households that will have central heating installed as a result of the scheme in each year to 2011.

Phil Woolas: The budget for the Warm Front Scheme for 2007-08 is approximately £350 million.
	The scheme's budget for the 2008-2011 period is approximately £800 million, with the yearly breakdown yet to be finalised. It is therefore not possible to provide yearly estimates for the number of central heating systems installed.
	However, over the entire three year period we anticipate Warm Front providing approximately 250,000 heating systems, although this will be dependent on the number of insulation measures delivered over this period.

Landfill: Liability

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Environment Agency first knew of the open admission to shared liability at  (a) Brosfiscin and  (b) other Welsh landfill sites; and what steps he has taken as a result.

Paul Murphy: I have been asked to reply.
	In the context of its investigations pursuant to part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the Environment Agency is unaware of any admissions of shared liability at Brofiscin or other Welsh landfill sites.

Nature Conservation

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will monitor captive breeding claims of species removed from schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; and if he will assess the resource implications of such monitoring for  (a) devolved administrations and  (b) agencies.

Joan Ruddock: No decision has been taken on which species will be removed from schedule 4 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
	Any species removed from schedule 4 but included on Annex A of the EU convention on the international trade in endangered species (CITES) regulations will continue to be closely monitored by Animal Health and its scientific advisers (the Joint Nature Conservation Committee). This is not a devolved responsibility and Animal Health carries out this duty UK-wide. As this is already part of its normal duties it will have no additional resource implications.
	For non-CITES species, Natural England will consider whether stringent sales controls are required. Natural England will also consider whether individual licences would be appropriate for species based on threats to their conservation status.

Planning Permission: Upchurch

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what legal advice the Environment Agency has sought in the last week concerning activities at 4 Gun Field in Upchurch, Sittingbourne.

Joan Ruddock: Legal advice sought internally by the Environment Agency instigated an investigation into the nature of the materials and operations at 4 Gun Field Upchurch.

Plastic Bags: Landfill

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his most recent estimate is of the number of plastic shopping bags sent to landfill in  (a) Ribble Valley constituency,  (b) Lancashire and  (c) England in each of the last three years.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 11 March 2008
	 No information is collected by DEFRA on the tonnage of individual products consigned to landfill.

River Severn: Floods

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress is being made in establishing the Wet Washland scheme to protect Shrewsbury and other towns on the River Severn from future flooding.

Phil Woolas: The Environment Agency is currently working on a feasibility study for the River Severn Flood Risk Management scheme (which was formerly known as the Wet Washland scheme).
	This will assess the technical, environmental and economic viability of a stand alone flood storage area immediately upstream of Shrewsbury and will combine with the proposed Shrewsbury North West Relief Road scheme. The study will be completed at the end of April 2008.

Smuggling: Wildlife

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects HM Revenue and Customs to publish its Customs CITES seizures report for 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: DEFRA will publish the HM Revenue and Customs seizures for 2007 on the UK CITES website by August 2008. HM Revenue and Customs also publish summary seizure data for the financial year in its departmental annual report, which is due to be published this spring.

Water: Fees and Charges

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the average domestic water bill in England and Wales in cash terms, including sewerage charges, in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09.

Phil Woolas: The average household water bill including sewerage in 2007-08 is £312 (in 2007-08 prices).
	The average household water bill including sewerage for 2008-09 will be £330 (in 2008-09 prices).
	These figures include bills for both unmetered and metered household customers.
	More information about average bills for 2008-09 is available on the Ofwat website.

Water: Meters

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what provisions of the Water Industry Act 1999 enable customers to request the installation of individual water meters in sheltered accommodation.

Phil Woolas: There are no specific provisions in legislation for sheltered accommodation. Where a tenant of a property has a fixed term tenancy lasting longer than six months, or is an owner-occupier, and is directly liable for the charges related to their water supply to the relevant undertaker, they are able to request a meter be installed without charge. Companies can refuse to install a meter where it is not practicable or is unreasonably expensive to fit one.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Aviation

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  what the policy is of  (a) the Cabinet Office and  (b) Downing street, on whether air flights should be made by standard class, business class or first class travel;
	(2)  what criteria are used to determine whether those undertaking air travel on behalf of  (a) his Department and  (b) the Prime Minister's Office are entitled to travel standard, business and first class.

Tom Watson: For the purposes of this answer, the Prime Minister's Office is part of the Cabinet Office.
	Cabinet Office policy requires officials to use the most cost effective class of air travel appropriate to the business need which takes account of the level of work that needs to be done during the flight and the importance of minimising fatigue. Standard class should normally be used but where the circumstances are justified, including longer flights, officials may travel in a higher class. Seats may be up-graded to a higher class where this does not involve additional cost.
	As part of a series of initiatives to reduce expenditure on travel, the policy is currently being reviewed.

Departmental Data Protection

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether new guidance on information security has been issued to staff in his Department since 1 October 2007.

Tom Watson: The Cabinet Office takes security very seriously and constantly reviews, and monitors its high level procedures and processes to minimise risks to all its assets.
	In December 2007 guidance was issued to staff regarding the implementation of additional procedures being introduced to protect the storage of data on removable media and on the use of laptops and other storage devices.

Departmental Data Protection

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if the Cabinet Office will collate and publish a list for each Government department, executive agency and non-departmental public body, of which public authorities process personal data in processing centres directly or via contractors outside the European Economic Area.

Tom Watson: The Data Protection Act 1998 includes provisions to ensure that personal data benefits from adequate protection when it is transferred outside the European Economic Area by UK data controllers. Data controllers are responsible for ensuring they comply with the provisions of the Data Protection Act with regard to the transfer of personal data to non-EEA countries. This means that the primary responsibility for putting in place and monitoring appropriate arrangements is on the individual department or other public body that acts as data controller.
	Information on which public authorities process personal data in processing centres directly or via contractors outside the European Economic Area is not held by the Cabinet Office.
	As part of cross-Government work on data handling, the Government have committed to put in place a programme to tighten procedures for any data stored outside the UK —written ministerial statement of 17 December 2007,  Official Report, column 98WS. An update on this commitment will be included in the final report, expected in spring 2008.

Departmental Labour Turnover

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many civil servants have voluntarily ceased employment, excluding redundancies, with the Prime Minister's Office in each month since May 1998.

Tom Watson: The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
	The following table shows the number of staff that have voluntarily ceased employment with the Cabinet Office in each financial year since 1998-99.
	
		
			   Total leavers( 1) 
			 1998-99 206 
			 1999-2000 275 
			 2000-01 329 
			 2001-02 410 
			 2002-03 487 
			 2003-04 403 
			 2004-05 372 
			 2005-06 414 
			 2006-07 411 
			 (1) Excluding transfers due to machinery of government changes 
		
	
	Figures on total leavers include staff who have retired or resigned from the civil service, staff who have completed a fixed term appointment or a period of loan to the Cabinet Office or staff who have transferred permanently to another Government Department.

Discrimination

David Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many claims for discrimination, based on  (a) sex,  (b) race and  (c) sexual orientation, were brought by members of his Department and settled (i) in and (ii) out of court in each of the last five years.

Tom Watson: The Cabinet Office has had fewer than five claims for discrimination based on sex, race and sexual orientation in the last five years. Exact numbers cannot be provided to protect the confidentiality of individual(s) involved.

Government Departments: Data Protection

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on how many occasions since February 2004 Government senior information risk owners have identified areas where data held by Departments may become compromised.

Tom Watson: Departments are responsible for their own data security measures in accordance with security policy as laid out in the Manual of Protective Security.
	There is no obligation for Departments' senior risk information owner's to report the detail of potential compromises to the Cabinet Office.

Government Departments: ICT

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the objectives are of the Government Gateway Strategic Support programme.

Tom Watson: The Government Gateway provides secure logon to Government services for nearly 13 million citizens and businesses and the secure handling of over 4.5 million transactions in 2007. The purpose of the Strategic Support programme was to contract for the next generation of IT managed services to support the continued growth and success of the Gateway. The procurement completed in September 2006 with the award of a five-year contract to Atos Origin.

Media Monitoring Unit: Manpower and Costs

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  how much the Media Monitoring Unit cost in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many  (a) civil servants,  (b) special advisers and  (c) other staff worked in the Media Monitoring Unit in each of the last five years.

Tom Watson: The costs and staffing levels of the Media Monitoring Unit (MMU) are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Cost  (£)  Permanent staff (FTE)  Other staff (FTE) 
			 2002-03 715,925 n/a 5 
			 2003-04 1,068,714 12 5 
			 2004-05 1,065,382 13 5 
			 2005-06 1,108,216 13 5 
			 2006-07 1,277,441 14 5 
		
	
	No special advisers are employed by the MMU. However, a No. 10 special adviser did work for some of the time alongside the MMU until 2006-07.
	Staffing levels and costs reflect the fact that the MMU is operational for 24 hours a day.
	Staff numbers for 2002-03 are not available, because there was no analysis of staff numbers by management unit at that time.

Official Residences: Repairs and Maintenance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the cost to the public purse was of project silent night over the lifetime of the project.

Tom Watson: holding answer 10 March 2008
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the then Prime Minister, the right hon. Tony Blair, to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 24 July 2002,  Official Report, columns 1368-69W.

Official Residences: Repairs and Maintenance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the budget for works associated with Crown proposal 08/00696/1884 made under the Circular 1884 Procedure is; and on what date such works are expected to be completed.

Tom Watson: holding answer 10 March 2008
	 Costs incurred on refurbishments and improvements to No. 10 Downing street will be available only when the Department's resource accounts are fully audited and laid before Parliament.
	The Government are legally required to maintain the Downing Street complex to standards appropriate to its Grade 1/2 listed status in consultation with English Heritage. In addition to providing office accommodation the building also fulfils an important representational role. No significant refurbishment works have been undertaken at the Downing street complex since the large scale rebuilding works that took place between 1960 and 1963. As a result much of the infrastructure now needs to be renewed or upgraded. It has therefore been recommended that essential improvements are undertaken through ongoing annual maintenance works.

Public Participation: Incentives

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1344W, on public participation: incentives, 
	(1)  what criteria were used to select the public participants in the deliberative forum on the draft legislative programme;
	(2)  in what manner the forum was advertised to the general public;
	(3)  which opinion polling organisations attended the event;
	(4)  who the speakers at the forum were.

Tom Watson: The deliberative event on the draft legislative programme was organised by Ipsos MORI. The speakers at the forum were the Leader of the House of Commons and the organisers, who managed the recruitment process for people to attend and selected a group of people from all walks of life to be reflective of the population. The event was not advertised to the general public. No additional opinion polling organisations attended the event.

Public Service: Voluntary Organisations

Peter Bone: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the Government's policy on commissioning public services from voluntary organisations.

Phil Hope: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 19 March 2008,  Official Report, column 907, to the hon. Member for Copeland (Mr. Reed) by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Television Screens

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2008,  Official Report, column 2485W, on television, how many plasma television screens have been purchased in the last 24 months by  (a) Downing Street and  (b) the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit.

Tom Watson: The information requested is as follows:  (a) Downing street purchased one plasma television screen and  (b) the strategy unit purchased none.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Housing

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the amount of money needed to bring all armed forces accommodation up to Grade 4 standard and above under Grade for Change classification.

Derek Twigg: All service families accommodation (SFA) and single living accommodation (SLA) is assessed by Grade for Charge (GfC), which is an assessment of the physical condition of the accommodation and other factors such as size and closeness to amenities. In addition all SFA (excluding that in Germany) is also assessed by Standard for Condition (SfC), which results in the categorisation of the housing stock taking account of a number of factors including standards of health and safety, sanitary, energy and efficiency. There are standards within four SfCs and GfCs, 1 being the highest and 4 the lowest respectively.
	Although no estimate has been made of the cost of bringing all accommodation up to each GfC, I can confirm that over the next decade, the Department will spend over £ 3 billion on upgrading and improving service accommodation, with priority given to addressing the lowest standard accommodation first. This includes the delivery of some further 30,000 new or improved SLA bed-spaces to G1fC standard by 2013 and the upgrading of a minimum of 600 SFA properties to S1fC this year, 600 next year and 800 in each year thereafter.

Defence Equipment and Support

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on phase four of the merger to establish Defence Equipment and Support; how the merger plans have changed since they were first made; and what representations on the merger he has received from external stakeholders.

Bob Ainsworth: Phase four of the merger identified how to optimise DE and S following its establishment in April 2007. As intended, its recently published business strategy (2008-2012) and blueprint set out the strategic direction and priorities for DE and S and how it will look and operate by around 2012. Both documents are available via the MOD website at:
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/MicroSite/DES/OurPublications/DefenceEquipmentAndSupportBusinessStrategy200812.htm
	DE and S is now developing detailed plans to deliver the blueprint under a single coherent change programme called PACE—Performance, Agility, Confidence and Efficiency, which is aimed at delivering increased effectiveness in support to the armed forces.
	A range of stakeholders across the Department and in industry have been consulted in taking these plans forward.

Defence Equipment and Support: Training

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes have been made to training programmes for his Department's staff to reflect the establishment of Defence Equipment and Support.

Bob Ainsworth: The upskilling element of the Defence Acquisition Change Programme was introduced last year to improve the Department's ability to acquire military capability by upskilling staff across the acquisition community, predominantly DE and S. It has developed a series of new blended learning which comprises a mix of e-learning and classroom courses which are focused primarily on training for civilian and military staff across the acquisition community.

Defence Procurement Agency: Standards

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has he made of the Defence Procurement Agency's capacity to meet its targets for 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The Defence Procurement Agency ceased to exist on 31 March 2007. Defence Equipment and Support (DE and S) was officially launched on 2 April 2007 bringing together the former Defence Logistics Organisation and the Defence Procurement Agency.
	During its first year DE and S has been developing and testing an appropriate performance management regime with targets not externally reported. The exception is the Departmental Public Service Agreement Target For Equipment Procurement to which DE and S contributes and which will be published in the MOD Delivery Report.

Departmental Computers

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's policy is on turning off computers  (a) at the end of each work day and  (b) at weekends; what the policy is for Sea King integrated project team employees at Sherborne, Dorset; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The current policy applied may vary dependant on the particular computer system employed at any given location, and the local security operating procedures (SyOps) that will also apply. The ongoing migration to the Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) system will bring about a common policy requiring a workstation which is to be left unattended for a prolonged period of time, and in particular if it is to be left overnight or out of normal operating hours, to be logged off and powered down. It will however need to be left connected to the mains power supply so that software upgrades can be carried out remotely and automatically over the network during quiet hours.
	The Sea King IPT currently operates on the Equipment Air Support Network which requires users to undertake shutdown and restart at the end of each working day, thereby leaving computers powered on so that software upgrades can be carried out at any time.

Iraq: Detainees

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2008,  Official Report, column 524W, on Iraq: detainees, what the Government's policy is on the recording of information about individuals detained by UK forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Des Browne: holding answer 18 March 2008
	We maintain sufficient information on individuals during their time in our detention to enable the necessary monitoring and administration over that period and also to enable us to meet our reporting obligations to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Iraq: Detainees

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether recordings have been made of interviews conducted with individuals captured by British forces during the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan; what his policy is on making such recordings; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: holding answer 18 March 2008
	It is our general policy that in both Iraq and Afghanistan, written or video records are kept of interviews with individuals held in detention by UK forces.

Iraq: Detainees

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Government has received any assurances from the US authorities regarding the treatment of detainees captured by UK forces in Iraq or Afghanistan and subsequently transferred into US custody.

Des Browne: holding answer 18 March 2008
	I will write to the hon. Member and will place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many seaborne attacks on coalition forces by armed gangs there were  (a) in the Persian Gulf,  (b) in the vicinity of Umm Qasr and  (c) near the Basra oil terminal in each month of 2007.

Bob Ainsworth: Throughout 2007 there were no reports of serious incidents involving attacks by non-state forces operating from the sea against coalition naval assets in these geographical areas.
	Over the last year, there have been a number of incidents between coalition forces and naval forces from Iran, including the illegal detention on 23 March 2007 of Royal Navy and Royal Marine personnel operating from HMS Cornwall, and an incident on 6 January 2008 involving US Navy ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when all Warriors deployed in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan will be equipped with the latest Wrap Two defensive technology; and at what cost.

Bob Ainsworth: Warrior Additional Protection 2 (WRAP 2) is an incremental programme of protection measures which is ongoing. We have already fitted certain types of additional armour protection to all Warrior vehicles in Iraq and Afghanistan. I am withholding further information as its release would, or would be, likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.
	To date expenditure of some £80 million has been approved under the WRAP 2 programme.

Radar: Wind Power

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 13 March 2008,  Official Report, columns 665-6W, on radar: wind power, what assessment he has made of whether wind farms interfere with the interoperability of aerial defence systems.

Derek Twigg: We continually assess the possible impact of wind farms on the UK's aerial defences.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Drinking Water

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what recent consideration the House authorities have given to providing filtered tap water as an alternative to bottled water in committee and meeting rooms; and what estimate has been made of the cost of providing  (a) tap and  (b) bottled water in these rooms in 2008-09.  [Official Report, 26 March 2008, Vol. 474, c. 4MC.]

Nick Harvey: The Administration Committee last considered the issue of the provision of drinking water in Committee and meeting rooms on 13 March 2007 and agreed to recommend that the current practice of supplying bottled mineral water to Committee rooms should continue. I understand that the Department of Facilities is re-examining the issue with the intention of providing further advice to the Administration Committee.
	When the Administration Committee considered the provision of drinking water in 2007 the estimated annual cost of providing tap water in Committee and meeting rooms was between £7,000 and £6,000 depending on how the service was delivered. Part of the re-examination being carried out by the Department of Facilities focuses on how this cost can be reduced. The projected approximate cost of providing bottled water in Committee Rooms in 2007-08 is £10,000. Costs for 2008-09 should be broadly similar if there is no change to the current practice. Water is not routinely provided for other meetings except when ordered and paid for as part of a catering service. Data on separate purchases is not held in a consolidated form.

HEALTH

Abortion

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women died as a result of their taking the RU486 abortion pill in each year since 1993, broken down by  (a) age and  (b) health authority area.

Dawn Primarolo: To date, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have received three reports of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) with a fatal outcome. Of these three ADR reports, two patients were in the age bracket 18-35 years and for one report the patient age was unknown. To protect patient identity it is not possible to provide data by year of death, age or primary care trust of residence.
	As with all medicines, the safety of Mifegyne (mifepristone, also known as RU486) is continuously monitored by the MHRA.
	Maternal deaths associated with termination of pregnancy that were reported to the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health (CEMACH) in the period 2003-05 are discussed in CEMACH's publication "Saving Mothers' Lives: Reviewing maternal deaths to make motherhood safer—2003-05" (December 2007). A copy of this publication is available in the Library. This shows one direct death following a medical abortion, which was associated with sub-optimal care.

Blood: Greater London

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many units of blood were collected in London in  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05,  (c) 2005-06,  (d) 2006-07 and  (e) 2007-08, broken down by borough.

Dawn Primarolo: The following table gives the number of units of (whole) blood collected in London.
	
		
			  Financial year  Whole blood collections in London postcodes( 1) 
			 2005-06 97,892 
			 2006-07 85,180 
			 2007-08(2) 79,032 
			 (1 )The National Blood Service is unable to provide a breakdown by borough. (2 )To 17 March 2007. 
		
	
	Information for year 2003-04—2004-05 can only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Blood: Greater London

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many registered blood donors there were in London in  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05,  (c) 2005-06,  (d) 2006-07 and  (e) 2007-08, broken down by Borough.

Dawn Primarolo: The National Blood Service (NBS) have provided information on the number of registered blood donors in London. This information is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  Start of financial year  Active whole blood donors from London postcodes( 1) 
			 April 2003 80,283 
			 April 2004 74,926 
			 April 2005 73,654 
			 April 2006 70,521 
			 April 2007 64,263 
			 (1) NBS are unable to provide a breakdown by borough.

Care Homes: Manpower

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued on the minimum staffing ratios for residential care homes for people requiring high dependency care that are wholly or partly funded from the public purse; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Regulation 18(1)(a) of the Care Homes Regulations 2001 requires that:
	"18.—(1) The registered person shall, having regard to the size of the care home, the statement of purpose and the number and needs of service users
	(a) ensure that at all times suitably qualified, competent and experienced persons are working at the care home in such numbers as are appropriate for the health and welfare of service users."
	In addition, where a home provides nursing and, whether or not in connection with nursing, medicines or medical treatment to service users, the Regulations specify that a suitably qualified registered nurse must be working at the care home at all times.
	The Care Homes Regulations apply to all care homes, whether operated and owned by public bodies or private or voluntary providers and regardless of how residents' care is funded.
	Minimum staffing ratios are not specified. The National Minimum Standards for Care Homes, which the Regulator, the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI), must have regard to when inspecting care homes, include requirements that service users needs must be met by the numbers and skill mix of staff. Staffing numbers and the skill mix of qualified/unqualified staff must be appropriate to the assessed needs of service users and the size, layout and purpose of the home at all times. It is for CSCI to judge whether these requirements are being met.

Clinical Trials: Data Protection

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the  (a) efficiency of and  (b) protection of the public provided by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency with reference to the non-disclosure of the results of clinical trials of drugs by pharmaceutical companies.

Dawn Primarolo: Companies are legally obliged to submit all data from clinical trials to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) when making an application for a marketing authorisation. Although this clinical trial data is available to the MHRA and central to the licensing process, the law does not require it to be more widely available. However the Government support the principle of open access to information about health research and strongly encourage voluntary registration of trials on public registers.
	It is equally important that any information from clinical trials that take place should be disclosed to the MHRA, regardless of where the clinical trials were conducted or how the medicine is currently licensed, if that information could have a bearing on safety.
	We are satisfied that the MHRA takes all necessary steps to protect public health with regard to its assessment of clinical trial data made available to it. However recent investigations have shown that the law is insufficiently clear about pharmaceutical companies' obligations in the case of clinical trials undertaken when a drug is already on the market. The Government are now taking action to change the law to make companies' obligations clear and comprehensive.

Departmental Official Cars

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what make and model of car  (a) he and  (b) each Minister in his Department selected as their official ministerial car; and what criteria were applied when making the decision in each case.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Member for Poplar and Canning Town (Jim Fitzpatrick) the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, on 10 March 2008,  Official Report, column 8W.

Dietary Supplements

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the Government's objectives were in discussions in Working Groups of the European Union and in bilateral dialogue with other member state competent authorities on the setting of maximum permitted levels for nutrients in food supplements; whether those objectives have been met; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Two working group meetings with member states have been held to date. The Commission's principal aim was to obtain member states' initial views on an orientation paper it had issued in the summer of 2007.
	The objective of the FSA in these initial meetings has been to promote the use of scientific evidence in establishing maximum levels.
	We have been advised by the FSA that general discussions in the two working group meetings revealed that while member states support the broad objective of setting maximum levels on the basis of safety and science, many are yet to establish views on a range of issues.

Discrimination

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many claims for discrimination, based on  (a) sex,  (b) race and  (c) sexual orientation, were brought by members of his Department and settled (i) in and (ii) out of court in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: There has only been one claim of discrimination against the Department during the last five years. The claim was of sexual discrimination and occurred during 2006. It was settled outside of employment tribunal and did not result in any further litigation.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children were born with  (a) foetal alcohol spectrum disorder and  (b) foetal alcohol syndrome in each of the last five years, broken down by region.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Romsey (Sandra Gidley) on 20 February 2008,  Official Report, column 807W.

Genito-Urinary Medicine: Waiting Lists

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of patients attending genito-urinary medicine clinics in  (a) St. Albans,  (b) Hertfordshire and  (c) England were offered an appointment to be seen within 48 hours in each of the last three months for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Information on the percentage of people offered an appointment to be seen within 48 hours at a genito-urinary medicine clinic, who were resident in the two Hertfordshire Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in Hertfordshire, East and North Hertfordshire PCT, West Hertfordshire PCT (which includes St. Albans) and England for the three months November, December 2007 and January 2008, is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Month  England  East and North Hertfordshire  West Hertfordshire 
			 November 2007 91.6 93.2 92.9 
			 December 2007 92.0 87.6 81.4 
			 January 2008 96.1 96.9 93.2

Health: Disadvantaged

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government has taken to improve the health of those living in deprived areas since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: Health inequalities are unacceptable. We are improving the health of people in deprived areas, through our programme to tackle inequalities, which has a focus on the areas with the worst health and deprivation.
	This commitment was strengthened further in September 2007, when my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced that the Department will publish a comprehensive strategy in 2008 for reducing health inequalities that will address unjustified gaps in health status and ensure fair access to national health service services for everyone and good outcomes of care for all.
	We have seen life expectancy at birth increase in all areas to an England average for males of 77.3 years for males, and 81.6 years for females—the highest ever levels. However, improvement has been slower in more deprived areas.
	The current cross-government national health inequalities strategy, "Tackling Health Inequalities: A Programme for Action", was put in place to deliver the 2010 health inequalities target to narrow the gap in infant mortality, by social class, and life expectancy at birth, by geographical area.
	We have established the spearhead group (SG) to provide a focus for the life expectancy element of the target, and inequalities elements of the national cancer and circulatory disease targets. The SG consists of the 70 local authorities (and 62 primary care trusts which map to them) which make up the fifth of areas with the worst health and deprivation indicators.
	Latest data for 2004-06 show that since the target baseline (1995-97), the relative gap in life expectancy between England and the SG has increased by 2 per cent. for males and by 11 per cent. for females, so the target remains challenging. However, we are seeing some signs of progress with 41 per cent. of spearheads on track to narrow their own life expectancy with England by 10 per cent., by 2010 for either males or females or both. In addition, we have seen a 32.2 per cent. reduction in the absolute cardiovascular disease inequality gap and an 11.3 per cent. reduction in the absolute cancer inequality gap between the SG and England since the 1995-97 Public service agreement target baselines.
	A review of the infant mortality element published in February 2007, will help improve delivery of local services to disadvantaged populations by working in partnership with local government and others. An implementation plan and good practice guide to promote the findings of the review was published in December 2007.
	We have also made health inequalities a key priority for the NHS, as set out in the NHS Operating Framework 2008-09. Incentives for the NHS and local authorities have been aligned with the same health inequalities indicators in both the "NHS Operating Framework 2008/09—Vital Signs" (a copy of this document has been placed in the Library) and the "New Performance Framework for Local Authorities and Local Authority Partnerships: Single Set of National Indicators", a copy of this document is available in the Library.
	Joint Strategic Needs Assessment has been introduced to support primary care trusts and local authorities to develop a whole health and social care system, which meets the needs of local people and takes account of inequalities, and communities for health, a local authority-led initiative focussed on health improvement and reducing health inequalities promotes action across local organisations, including all spearheads.
	In addition, the Department is providing tailored, intensive, assistance to areas that face the biggest challenges in delivering the 2010 target. We have established national support teams on health inequalities and on tobacco control and smoking cessation that will disseminate best practice across areas with high infant mortality rates and spearhead areas.
	The Department and the Association of Public Health Observatories have jointly developed the interactive Health Inequalities Intervention Tool. Launched in August 2007, the tool helps local health services and councils improve life expectancy in spearhead areas.

Hepatitis

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1254W, on hepatitis, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the FaCe It campaign.

Dawn Primarolo: The aim of the hepatitis C FaCe It awareness campaign has been to increase hepatitis C diagnosis so that those infected can be referred for specialist care and treatment. There are two national outcome indicators, drawn from epidemiological surveillance by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), intended to track this.
	The first indicator is the total number of laboratory confirmed hepatitis C infection reports. There has been a significant increase in hepatitis C diagnoses in England reported to the HPA through national surveillance from around 5,600 in 2003 (the year before the campaign began) to around 8,346 in 2007.
	The second indicator is the proportion of injecting drug users attending treatment and support agencies, who are aware of their hepatitis C infection. The proportion who are aware of their hepatitis C infection has increased from 42 per cent. in 2003 to 54 per cent. in 2007.
	Research into awareness among general practitioners and practice nurses in 2005 and the public in 2006 indicates that awareness of hepatitis C has increased since the campaign began. For example, the proportion of the public saying they know nothing at all about hepatitis C has almost halved to 23 per cent. in 2006 compared to 42 per cent. in 2003.
	Other indicators of the impact of the campaign are that:
	visits to the campaign website (www.nhs.uk/Livewell/hepatitisc) have increased from 67,558 (in 2005-06) to 349,711 (in 2007-08); and
	calls to the Hepatitis C Information Line (0800 451451) have increased from 4,410 calls (in 2005-06) to 11,529 (in 2007-08).

HIV Infection: Lancashire

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residents of Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency had been diagnosed as HIV positive at the latest date for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: The data requested are not available by constituency. However, data are available by local authority. In 2006, 33 HIV-infected residents of Lancaster city council were reported to have been seen for HIV-related care.

In-Vitro Fertilisation

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish his Department's recent survey of primary care trusts' provision of in-vitro fertilisation treatment.

Dawn Primarolo: A summary of responses will be placed in the Library and on the Department's website in due course.

In-Vitro Fertilisation

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what surveys his Department has initiated on primary care trusts' progress on implementation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's guidelines on access to in-vitro fertilisation treatment; and if he will publish the results of these surveys.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 29 February 2008
	The Department has carried out a survey of primary care trusts and a summary of responses will be placed in the Library and on the Department's website in due course. The Department also funded a survey carried out in 2006 by the leading fertility patient support organisation Infertility Network UK, and the analysis and summary of responses has been placed in the Library and is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_079811.

In-Vitro Fertilisation

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on the consultation being conducted by the Human Fertilisation and Embroyology Authority on single embryo transfer; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's public consultation "The Best Possible Start to Life" was published in April 2007. It set out the options for reducing the incidence of multiple births following in vitro fertilisation. Following the consultation the authority concluded that a three year strategy was needed to enable the multiple birth rate to fall. They have called on the relevant professional bodies to lead on developing guidance on the best way to achieve this change. We have welcomed that work, which will be taken into account by the expert group which we are establishing to consider the barriers to the implementation of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence fertility guideline and assess how to help primary care trust commissioners.

Marie Stopes International: Finance

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department has given to the Marie Stopes organisation to  (a) establish and  (b) maintain its recently established abortion telephone counselling service.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department has provided no such funding.

Mental Health Services

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) medium and  (b) high security mental health beds there were in each of the last five years, broken down by (i) sex of occupants and (ii) region.

Ivan Lewis: The data collected record the numbers of mental health and learning disability secure unit beds in national health service units, not the numbers of psychiatric secure unit beds. The data do not include independent sector beds.
	The following table shows the average daily number of NHS secure unit beds, and learning disability secure unit beds in NHS units in England over the last five years.
	
		
			   Mental illness  Learning disability 
			 2002-03 2,064 508 
			 2003-04 2,569 514 
			 2004-05 2,696 503 
			 2005-06 2,807 526 
			 2006-07 2,993 516 
			  Notes: These figures do not represent the full level of secure services available to the NHS. 'Low secure' mental health services are not consistently defined and may well fall outside the definitions. This means that the figures above mainly show the numbers in high and medium secure mental health services in NHS units. These figures also only show NHS beds and not those commissioned by the NHS and provided by independent sector providers.  Source: Department of Health Dataset KH03. 
		
	
	The definitions of mental health and learning disability secure unit beds, for the purposes of the KH03 annual beds collection, are:
	 Mental Illness—Other ages, Secure unit
	An 'Age group intended' of National Code 8 'Any age', a 'Broad patient group code' of National Code 5 'Patients with mental illness' and a 'Clinical care intensity' of National Code 51 'For intensive care: specially designated ward for patients needing containment and more intensive management. This is not to be confused with intensive nursing where a patient may require one-to-one nursing while on a standard ward'.
	 Learning disabilities—Other ages, Secure unit
	An 'Age group intended' of National Code 8 'Any age', a 'Broad patient group code' of National Code 6 'Patients with learning difficulties' and a 'Clinical care intensity' of National Code 61 'designated or interim secure unit'.
	The information on sex and region is not available in the format requested. Information on bed availability and occupancy by NHS organisations in England for 2006-07 and the preceding four years is available on the Department's website at:
	www.performance.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity/data_requests/beds_open_overnight.htm

Mental Health Services: Hospital Beds

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many beds in psychiatric wards for adults  (a) of working age and  (b) older than the working age were occupied by patients whose discharge was delayed in each of the last three years, broken down by trust; and what proportion of all delayed discharges in the NHS those figures represented;
	(2)  how many discharges of psychiatric patients were delayed for reasons other than awaiting transfer to local authority care, in each of the last three years, broken down by individual trust;
	(3)  how many delayed discharge cases of psychiatric patients were awaiting transfer to local authority care in each of the last three years, broken down by trust.

Ivan Lewis: The specific information requested is not collected. However, for information on delayed transfers of care from non-acute beds in England for 2006-07 to 2007-08, broken down by primary care trust, has been placed in the Library.

Mental Health Services: Lancashire

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps his Department has taken to secure adequate psychological therapy provision in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency.

Ivan Lewis: Ensuring adequate availability of services is the responsibility of local national health service organisations. Since 2006, the delivery of mental health services in Morecambe and Lunesdale has been the responsibility of Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust.

Mentally Ill: Discharges

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many beds on average in psychiatric wards in each trust were occupied by patients of  (a) working and  (b) pensionable age whose discharge was delayed in each of the last three years; and what proportion those figures represented of all delayed discharges in the NHS in each of those years;
	(2)  how many delayed discharge cases there were of psychiatric patients awaiting transfer to local authority care in each trust in each of the last three years;
	(3)  how many discharges of psychiatric patients in each trust were delayed for reasons other than awaiting transfer to local authority care in each of the last three years;
	(4)  what  (a) targets and  (b) guidance he provides to trusts on delayed discharges; and what sanctions are applied to trusts for delayed discharge of (i) general patients and (ii) patients with mental health problems.

Ivan Lewis: There is no numeric target for delayed transfers of care, but we expect the national health service and its partners to keep delays at a minimal level. The new performance framework for local authorities and local authority partnerships includes an indicator for delayed transfers of care for all adult patients in all settings (acute, non-acute and mental health), which localities may incorporate in their local area agreement from April 2008 if appropriate to local circumstances.
	Except where local multi-agency partnership working is the agreed way of helping patients to leave hospital as quickly as it is both safe and appropriate for them to do so, a council may be liable to pay £100 (£120 in London and the south-east) for each day that a patient in an acute bed has a delayed transfer of care because the council has not been able to put a suitable package of community care in place in time.
	Specific guidance on hospital discharge includes the toolkits 'Achieving timely simple discharge from hospital: A toolkit for the multi-disciplinary team' (August 2004) and 'Discharge from hospital: pathway, process and practice' (January 2003). In addition, the Care Services Improvement Programme has published 'A Positive Outlook—A good practice toolkit to improve discharge from inpatient mental health care' (March 2007). Copies of all the documents have been placed in the Library and are available on the following websites.
	Information on the numbers of people with delayed transfers of care in acute beds and in non-acute beds is collected, but is not currently available. It will be available shortly and a copy will be placed in the Library.
	 Notes:
	1. 'Achieving timely simple discharge from hospital: A toolkit for the multi-disciplinary team' is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4088366
	2. 'Discharge from hospital: pathway, process and practice' is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4003252
	3. A Positive Outlook—A good practice toolkit to improve discharge from inpatient mental health care is available at:
	www.nimhe.csip.org.uk/silo/files/apositiveoutlookpdf.pdf

Palliative Care: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what data are used by commissioners to determine the need for specialist palliative and neurological care in Tamworth.

Ivan Lewis: It is for individual primary care trusts (PCTs), including South Staffordshire PCT, within the national health service to commission services for their resident population, including end of life care and neurological care, based on an assessment of local needs and priorities. Strategic health authorities are responsible for monitoring PCTs to ensure they are effective and efficient.
	The NHS operating framework for 2007-08 asked PCTs, working with local authorities, to undertake a baseline review of their end of life care services. These will allow local commissioners to assess current services, identify gaps and obtain a much clearer view of local need, which will inform local commissioning.
	Regarding neurological care, the information strategy published alongside the 'National Service Framework for Long-term (Neurological) Conditions' outlines commissioners' information requirements and a series of local and national actions designed to meet those needs.

Patient Choice Schemes

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of  (a) the number of GPs using choose and book and  (b) the frequency of use by those GPs.

Ben Bradshaw: The management information from the Department indicates that over 7,500 (89 per cent.) general practitioner (GP) practices made an electronic booking in February 2008 using choose and book. Information is not available on the frequency of use by those GPs. We can confirm over 7,300 (87 per cent.) GP practices used choose and book in each month from December 2007 to February 2008.

Patients: EC Action

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the European Commission's legislative proposal on information to patients; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government are currently considering their response to the European Commission's legal proposal on information to patients and seeking views from stakeholders including industry and patient organisations. The consultation is intended to inform the development of future legal proposals and as such, no impact assessment has been undertaken at this stage.
	The Government support the development of improved frameworks for the delivery of medicines information across Europe to ensure that all patients have access to high quality, non-promotional information to help them make decisions about their health care. The statement in the consultation that the ban on direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription only medicines will remain is in line with long-standing United Kingdom policy and we will work to ensure that this important principle is maintained as the Commission's proposals develop.

Patients: Nutrition

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what consideration was given to including indicators of undernutrition in the list of vital signs in his Department's Operational Plans 2008-09 to 2010-11 on 31 January 2008; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  for what reasons indicators of undernutrition were not included in the list of vital signs published in his Department's Operational Plans 2008-09 to 2010-11.

Dawn Primarolo: The range of indicators of vital signs published in the 'Operational Plans 2008-09 - 2010-11' (January 2008) reflect national priorities set out in 'The NHS in England: The Operating Framework for 2008-09' (December 2007) and the Department's contribution to cross-Government public service agreements. A copy of the framework is available in the Library.
	We considered a wide range of existing indicators to support the development of the vital signs, and did this with the involvement of external stakeholders and an on-line engagement processes.

Plastic Surgery

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many elective cosmetic surgical operations there were, broken down by  (a) trust and  (b) type of operation in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of privately-funded cosmetic surgery procedures which required remedial treatment by the NHS in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: This information is not collected centrally.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of drug resistant gonorrhoea have been confirmed in each of the last five years, broken down by trust.

Dawn Primarolo: Data are not available by individual trusts. The Gonococcal Resistance to Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (GRASP) monitors gonococcal antimicrobial resistance at 26 sentinel sites in England and Wales.
	The number of patients attending genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics with confirmed gonorrhoea isolates submitted to GRASP for sensitivity testing in the last five years are presented in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of GUM patients with confirmed gonorrhoea isolates submitted to GRASP for sensitivity testing, 2002-06 
			   Number patients with confirmed gonorrhoea isolates submitted to GRASP for sensitivity testing 
			 2002 2,204 
			 2003 1,977 
			 2004 1,795 
			 2005 965 
			 2006 1,242 
			  Source: GRASP 
		
	
	The percentages of patients with gonorrhoea isolates submitted to GRASP which had confirmed resistance to penicillin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, azithromycin, spectinomycin, ceftriaxone and cefixime in the last five years are presented in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage of isolates from patients resistant to specific antimicrobials, 2002-06 
			  Percentage 
			  Antimicrobial  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Penicillin (MIC>=l mg/l) 9.8 9.7 11.4 17.9 9.5 
			 Tetracycline (MIC>=2 mg/l) 44.8 38.2 44.4 48.0 36.9 
			 Ciprofloxacin (MIC>=l mg/l) 9.8 9.1 14.0 21.7 26.5 
			 Azithromycin (MIC>=l mg/l) 0.4 0.9 1.8 2.2 2.0 
			 Spectinomycin (MIC>=128 mg/l) 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 
			  Notes: 1. Since GRASP is a sentinel programme we cannot provide data at the level of primary care trusts. 2. MIC means Minimum Inhibitory Concentration and is defined as the lowest concentration of an antimicrobial that will inhibit the visible growth of a micro-organism after overnight incubation. The MICs shown for the specific antimicrobials define the cut-off for resistance to these antimicrobials. 3. Due to variations in the retrieval and confirmation of isolates submitted to Sexually Transmitted Bacteria Reference Laboratory of the Health Protection Agency in 2005, the data on resistance prevalence are statistically weighted. This is done to avoid resistance estimates being under representative of sites that have a low retrieval rate and over representative of sites that have a high retrieval rate. Consequently, estimates for previous years have been recalculated in this way and so values presented here may differ slightly from to the unweighted estimates that have appeared in previous GRASP reports. 4. The data presented for the percentage of isolates from patients resistant to specific antimicrobials, 2002-06, represent specimens collected from GUM clinics only. 5. No isolates have been found with resistance to ceftriaxone or cefixime over the last five years.  Source: GRASP

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has allocated to (a) Eastern and Coastal Kent primary care trust (PCT) and its predecessor PCTs and  (b) PCTs with a similar sexually transmitted infection prevalence for sexual health services in each of the last five years; and what the average sexual health allocation was for PCTs in England in each year.

Dawn Primarolo: The funding to support sexual health services is not allocated separately to primary care trusts (PCTs) but is contained within the mainstream revenue allocations made to PCTs. A weighted capitation formula is used to determine each PCT's share of available funding. It is the responsibility of PCTs to commission the health services they need to meet the health requirements of the local populations they serve.
	The revenue allocations made to Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT for the period 2003-04 to 2008-09 are provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT 
			   Allocation (£000) 
			 2003-04 643,780 
			 2004-05 704,384 
			 2005-06 769,650 
			 2006-07 917,451 
			 2007-08 1,013,331 
			 2008-09 1,068,679

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many sexually transmitted infections were diagnosed in each year since 1997, broken down by type of infection.

Dawn Primarolo: The total number of new sexually transmitted infections (STIs) diagnosed in genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics in England between 1997 and 2006 is given in the following table.
	
		
			  The total number of new STIs diagnosed in GUM clinics in England; 1997 to 2006 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Primary and secondary infectious syphilis 147 131 211 322 717 1,196 1,538 2,033 2,574 2,515 
			 Uncomplicated gonorrhoea 12,399 12,535 15,549 20,494 22,398 24,357 23,492 20,779 17,702 17,445 
			 Complicated gonococcal infection including pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and epididymitis 260 261 311 339 368 378 414 397 329 324 
			 Chancroid/ lymphogranuloma venereum/ Donovanosis 50 67 51 61 62 71 136 149 317 252 
			 Uncomplicated chlamydial infection 38,839 43,912 50,960 61,370 68,180 78,117 85,516 92,948 95,930 99,230 
			 Complicated chlamydial infection including PID and epididymitis 1,625 1,852 2,195 2,642 2,619 2,705 2,728 2,964 2,959 2,950 
			 Uncomplicated non-gonococcal/ non-specific urethritis males, or treatment of mucopurulent cervicitis in females 48,677 51,951 53,214 56,007 59,467 62,040 73,928 77,287 77,777 77,362 
			 Complicated infection (non-chlamydial/non-gonococcal) including PID and epididymitis 11,512 12,289 13,236 14,297 14,656 15,198 14,708 16,876 16,994 17,162 
			 Trichomoniasis 5,968 6,175 6,089 6,767 7,012 7,196 6,509 6,221 5,388 5,521 
			 Scabies/ pediculosis pubis 6,107 6,070 5,811 5,761 5,126 4,299 3,562 2,813 2,179 2,188 
			 Genital herpes simplex—first attack 15,079 15,815 15,880 16,147 17,054 17,510 17,157 16,952 17,618 19,388 
			 Genital warts—first attack 58,711 59,681 61,157 60,661 62,423 63,938 65,279 68,217 68,701 70,988 
			 Molluscum contagiosum 6,197 6,736 7,400 7,791 8,574 9,437 10,425 11,937 13,085 14,099 
			 New HIV diagnoses(1): asymptomatic 1,488 1,455 1,636 1,854 2,764 4,279 4,762 4,823 4,888 4,439 
			 New HIV diagnoses(2): symptomatic (not AIDS) 1,114 758 709 668 967 1,189 1,105 1,054 1,177 981 
			 AIDS: first presentation—new HIV diagnosis(1) — — — — — — 313 333 376 279 
			 Total new STI diagnoses 208,173 219,688 234,409 255,181 272,387 291,910 311,572 325,783 327,994 335,123 
			 (1) "AIDS: first presentation—new HIV diagnosis" was added to the KC60 form in 2003. (2) Data on new HIV diagnoses are included in the table to ensure the numbers of 'total new ST1 diagnoses' match published data. More comprehensive data on total new HIV diagnoses in England are collected through a different surveillance system that also includes non-GUM clinic settings. They are available on the HPA website at: www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hiv_and_sti/Stats/HIV/NewDiagnoses/Files/2007_Country_England.pdf  Notes: 1. The data available from the KC60 statutory returns are for diagnoses made in GUM clinics only. Diagnoses made in other clinical settings, such as general practice, are not recorded in the KC60 dataset. 2. The data available from the KC60 statutory returns are the number of diagnoses made, not the number of patients diagnosed. For example, individuals may be diagnosed with chlamydia several times in one year and each diagnosis will be counted separately. 3. The information provided has been adjusted for missing clinic data. 4. Data are not yet available for 2007. 
		
	
	In addition the following table shows the total number of new chlamydia diagnoses undertaken by the National Chlamydia Screening Programme in England between April 2003 and December 2007.
	
		
			  Number of confirmed positive chlamydia diagnoses in England: April 2003 to December 2007 
			  Year  Number positive of confirmed chlamydia diagnoses 
			 April 2003 to March 2004 1,756 
			 April 2004 to March 2005 6,784 
			 April 2005 to March 2006 11,003 
			 April 2006 to March 2007 15,998 
			 April 2007 to December 2007 18,544 
			 Total 54,085 
			  Notes: 1. The data are from NCSP registered screening venues and includes the Boots pathfinder project. 2. Data from the NCSP do not include diagnoses made in GUM clinics. 3. The NCSP screens those aged under 25 years and the data shown apply to the age group 13 to 24 years. 4. The NCSP began screening on 1 April 2003 and so data are only available from that date onwards. 5. The data available from the NCSP are the number of diagnoses made and not the number of patients diagnosed. 6. The NCSP receive data on a quarterly basis. Data for the last quarter of year 5 (January to March 2008) is not yet available.  Source: National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP)

Smoking: Young People

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he is considering to reduce levels of smoking among teenagers.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) on 7 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 1482-83W.

Streptococcus: Screening

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2008,  Official Report, column 2527W, on Streptococcus screening, when the proposal was made to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE); when he expects a response from NICE; whether he has made an assessment of the method of processing swabs for group B streptococcus carriage in NHS trusts; and if he will bring forward proposals for the enriched culture method test to be available on the NHS.

Dawn Primarolo: The proposal for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to appraise the use of an enriched culture medium for the detection of Group B streptococcus (GBS) carriage in a subset of pregnant women with clinical risk factors was submitted on behalf of the UK National Screening Committee's GBS Coordinating Group in June 2006. NICE are currently considering this topic as part of a wider assessment of the approach they should adopt in assessing proposals for appraisals of diagnostics.
	No separate assessment of the method of processing swabs for GBS carriage in national health service trusts has been made; the method used is for local services to determine.

Tobacco: Licensing

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when and by what means he plans to monitor the effectiveness of restricted premises and sales orders when they are implemented; what information will be collected as part of the monitoring arrangements; and over what period the information will be collected.

Dawn Primarolo: The first report on the impact of restricted premises and sales orders will be published in 2010, a year after the powers for magistrates to make the orders are due to come into force. Thereafter, a report will be made to Parliament annually.
	A number of indicators will reflect the impact of the new powers and can be covered in the report. These include: the number of orders imposed and the number of applications for orders made by trading standards officers; the number of prosecutions against retailers for under-age sale of tobacco; the number of fixed penalty notices issued for under-age sale of tobacco by trading standards officers (under the Retail Enforcement and Sanctions law currently before Parliament); attempted purchase of tobacco by young people and the difficulty they encounter in doing so; smoking prevalence among older children and young teenagers under 18 (as reported annually in the Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Survey); the number of failed test purchases and smoking prevalence among 16 to 18-year-olds.

WALES

British-Irish Council

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of his time is spent on the British-Irish Council; and what administrative support his Department provides to the Council.

Paul Murphy: It is too early to make a meaningful assessment of the proportion of time I will spend on British-Irish Council matters. Since my appointment I have attended a meeting in Dublin and held briefing meetings with officials. The Ministry of Justice provides the UK side of the joint UK-Irish Government secretariat which supports the work of the Council. Wales Office does not provide any administrative support to the BIC.

Council Tax

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate  (a) his Department and  (b) the Valuation Office Agency have made of the year-on-year changes in council tax receipts in Wales resulting from revaluation in 2005 after the end of transition relief.

Paul Murphy: The revaluation and re-banding exercise was intended to be revenue-neutral. Year-to-year changes in the level of council tax receipts are the result of local authority budget decisions.
	The increase in Band D council tax was 3.8 per cent. between 2004-05 and 2005-06; 4.5 per cent. between 2005-06 and 2006-07, and 4.4 per cent. between 2006-07 and 2007-08.

Governance: Accountability

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the options for improvement of accountability of governance in Wales.

Paul Murphy: The governance of Wales rests on three pillars—Parliament, the National Assembly and its Government, and local government. The Government of Wales Act 2006 made important improvements to the structure of the National Assembly and Welsh Assembly Government, which took effect last May. Since then we have seen the arrangements for incremental devolution of legislative powers to the Assembly under part 3 of the Act beginning to work through. These new arrangements are already serving to improve the accountability of governance in Wales. The Government have no current plans for any changes to the Government of Wales Act 2006 in relation to this area.

Hospitals

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information he holds on the number of English residents  (a) in hospital and  (b) in school in Wales.

Paul Murphy: I do not hold any information on the number of English residents in hospitals or schools in Wales; however  (a) Health Solutions Wales produces the Patient Episode Database for Wales (PEDW), and in 2005-06 there were 11,918 finished consultant episodes for patients from an English commissioner in a Welsh trust. (A finished consultant episode describes the time a patient spends in the continuous care of one consultant).
	 (b) Similarly, data from the Stats Wales school census for January 2006 show that there were 1,500 primary and secondary school pupils known to live in England, but were in educated in Wales. This does not include figures for children who attend independent schools.

JUSTICE

Departmental Pay

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the salary range is for each pay band of civil servants in his Department.

Bridget Prentice: Pay ranges for the senior civil service (SCS), for whom reward arrangements are managed centrally, for 2007-08 are as follows:
	 SCS Pay Band 1
	£56,100 (minimum), £116,000 (ceiling)
	 SCS Pay Band 1A
	£65,280 (minimum), £127,000 (ceiling)
	 SCS Pay Band 2
	£81,600 (minimum), £160,000 (ceiling)
	 SCS Pay Band 3
	£99,960 (minimum), £205,000 (ceiling)
	Below the SCS approximately 95 per cent. of staff employed on Ministry of Justice terms and conditions are paid according to Pay scales, of which those for 2007-08 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			Inner London (Range 1)  Outer London (Range 2)  Hotspots (Range 3)  National Plus (Range 4)  National (Range 5) 
			 Band A Minimum 41,250 38,825 35,295 35,295 35,295 
			  Maximum 65,000 62,000 58,000 58,000 58,000 
			 Band B Minimum 30,000 28,763 25,601 25,601 25,601 
			  Maximum 43,000 41,000 37,000 37,000 37,000 
			 Band C Minimum 24,764 22,960 21,320 19,270 17,712 
			  Maximum 35,000 33,500 31,000 29,000 27,000 
			 Band D Minimum 20,252 18,675 17,181 15,604 14,774 
			  Maximum 28,000 25,000 24,000 22,560 21,000 
			 Band E Minimum 16,590 15,603 14,615 13,825 13,430 
			  Maximum 21,000 19,750 18,500 17,500 17,000 
			 Band F Minimum 14,432 13,312 12,382 11,972 11,726 
			  Maximum 17,600 16,600 15,100 14,600 14,300 
		
	
	A small number of staff are employed on the legacy arrangements inherited from the Magistrates' Courts Service and the former DCA such arrangements did not contain comparable pay bands.
	Approximately 2,000 staff joined the Ministry of Justice from the Home Office in May 2007. They remain on Home Office pay scales pending talks with the Unions. There are a very small number of staff working for the Ministry of Justice on legacy terms from other Government Departments following other machinery of Government changes.

Offenders: Custodial Treatment

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2008,  Official Report, column 378W, on offenders: custodial treatment, how many  (a) young and  (b) adult offenders have been sentenced to terms of immediate custody in the last five years for which records are available.

Maria Eagle: The requested information is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  Persons sentenced to immediate custody by age group, sex and type of sentence, 1996 to 2006, England and Wales 
			  Number of persons 
			  Age, sex and year  Total immediate custody  Total persons sentenced 
			  All persons   
			  Age 10-17   
			 1996 6,497 74,597 
			 1997 7,083 79,092 
			 1998 7,217 86,294 
			 1999 7,653 90,160 
			 2000 7,414 91,480 
			 2001 7,596 95,485 
			 2002 7,416 94,548 
			 2003 6,200 92,531 
			 2004 6,325 96,188 
			 2005 6,015 96,203 
			 2006 6,183 93,806 
			
			  Aged 18-20   
			 1996 14,750 152,298 
			 1997 15,785 156,459 
			 1998 17,003 167,122 
			 1999 18,011 165,412 
			 2000 18,441 162,090 
			 2001 17,948 157,907 
			 2002 17,363 159,384 
			 2003 15,438 162,067 
			 2004 14,636 156,399 
			 2005 14,231 146,051 
			 2006 13,897 142,694 
			
			  Aged 21 and over   
			 1996 64,002 1,198,472 
			 1997 70,973 1,137,827 
			 1998 76,346 1,203,360 
			 1999 79,659 1,142,214 
			 2000 80,332 1,160,618 
			 2001 80,729 1,085,130 
			 2002 86,828 1,156,572 
			 2003 86,032 1,225,214 
			 2004 85,361 1,284,239 
			 2005 80,990 1,231,021 
			 2006 75,937 1,176,440 
			
			  All ages   
			 1996 85,249 1,425,367 
			 1997 93,841 1,373,378 
			 1998 100,566 1,456,776 
			 1999 105,323 1,397,786 
			 2000 106,187 1,414,188 
			 2001 106,273 1,338,522 
			 2002 111,607 1,410,504 
			 2003 107,670 1,479,812 
			 2004 106,322 1,536,826 
			 2005 101,236 1,473,275 
			 2006 96,017 1,412,940 
			  Notes: 1. Section 53 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 was repealed on 25 August 2000 and its provisions transferred to sections 90 to 92 of the Power of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000. 2. Sentences for dangerous young offenders under the Criminal Justice Act 2003 which came into force on 4 April 2005 are included under 'Unsuspended imprisonment'. 3. See Preface and Appendix 3, paragraph 3.15. 4. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system.  Source: RDS-NOMS, Ministry of Justice. 
		
	
	This table is also available as table 2.8 of the Ministry of Justice statistical bulletin, "Sentencing Statistics 2006" at the following website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/sentencing-stats2006pdf

Offensive Weapons: Sentencing

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were convicted for possession of bladed and pointed articles in a public place in each police authority area in each of the last 10 years; and how many of these received a  (a) custodial sentence,  (b) community sentence and  (c) fine.

Maria Eagle: The requested information is contained in the following tables.
	
		
			  Number of persons sentenced( 1)  for the offence of possession of having an article with a blade or point in a public place, all courts, England and Wales, 1997 to 2006 
			   1997  1998 
			  Police  f orce  Immediate custody  Community sentence  Fine  Immediate custody  Community sentence  Fine 
			 Avon and Somerset 5 17 10 9 17 15 
			 Bedfordshire 5 6 7 9 12 7 
			 Cambridgeshire 1 6 7 4 9 5 
			 Cheshire 7 14 17 11 18 22 
			 City of London 0 3 5 0 0 5 
			 Cleveland 1 0 8 1 9 9 
			 Cumbria 2 7 16 3 7 8 
			 Derbyshire 1 10 15 7 5 11 
			 Devon and Cornwall 7 9 10 18 20 19 
			 Dorset 3 6 7 7 12 7 
			 Durham 1 4 9 3 11 7 
			 Essex 19 34 17 27 39 13 
			 Gloucestershire 1 4 6 2 8 12 
			 Greater Manchester 20 52 51 30 49 70 
			 Hampshire 6 20 26 11 26 27 
			 Hertfordshire 3 12 10 4 9 5 
			 Humberside 9 11 9 7 16 10 
			 Kent 2 10 8 8 18 25 
			 Lancashire 9 19 38 18 20 34 
			 Leicestershire 4 23 6 10 28 12 
			 Lincolnshire 0 2 5 1 11 7 
			 Merseyside 8 31 81 15 31 70 
			 Metropolitan Police 190 231 489 225 278 489 
			 Norfolk 1 8 10 9 20 7 
			 North Yorkshire 4 9 10 3 10 12 
			 Northamptonshire 3 1 1 1 2 3 
			 Northumbria 4 23 33 8 19 23 
			 Nottinghamshire 7 18 9 5 22 6 
			 South Yorkshire 3 15 15 7 18 22 
			 Staffordshire 0 4 8 4 9 10 
			 Suffolk 2 4 16 1 6 7 
			 Surrey 0 5 3 0 0 4 
			 Sussex 5 24 13 14 22 12 
			 Thames Valley 9 13 19 8 20 25 
			 Warwickshire 0 6 3 3 14 10 
			 West Mercia 0 6 8 4 8 9 
			 West Midlands 10 35 86 12 31 65 
			 West Yorkshire 4 13 18 8 12 8 
			 Wiltshire 0 8 4 2 20 5 
			 Dyfed-Powys 3 2 3 2 3 5 
			 Gwent 1 4 14 1 2 10 
			 North Wales 5 13 18 9 12 24 
			 South Wales 7 10 29 19 16 28 
			 Total 93,841 139,990 987,985 100,566 149,388 1,049,115 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of persons 
			   1999  2000 
			  Police  f orce  Immediate custody  Community sentence  Fine  Immediate custody  Community sentence  Fine 
			 Avon and Somerset 15 37 19 14 23 21 
			 Bedfordshire 7 5 3 12 17 4 
			 Cambridgeshire 9 10 5 1 9 3 
			 Cheshire 11 15 16 11 14 10 
			 City of London 0 1 2 1 3 2 
			 Cleveland 1 11 7 0 8 5 
			 Cumbria 2 9 12 3 10 5 
			 Derbyshire 5 16 6 10 12 9 
			 Devon and Cornwall 13 15 24 7 20 22 
			 Dorset 8 10 4 10 9 5 
			 Durham 2 7 11 7 15 8 
			 Essex 36 32 16 24 52 14 
			 Gloucestershire 3 7 2 3 7 3 
			 Greater Manchester 27 55 51 19 59 66 
			 Hampshire 11 23 27 10 55 21 
			 Hertfordshire 7 14 4 3 10 9 
			 Humberside 12 25 12 8 26 12 
			 Kent 10 24 20 10 17 20 
			 Lancashire 11 20 34 3 23 30 
			 Leicestershire 11 29 9 12 17 12 
			 Lincolnshire 4 19 14 3 15 6 
			 Merseyside 13 27 52 14 26 47 
			 Metropolitan Police 181 252 369 195 320 356 
			 Norfolk 6 17 12 5 11 12 
			 North Yorkshire 6 12 11 8 8 6 
			 Northamptonshire 4 1 4 1 0 2 
			 Northumbria 11 36 24 11 33 27 
			 Nottinghamshire 5 24 8 6 25 6 
			 South Yorkshire 4 23 13 11 31 11 
			 Staffordshire 4 5 19 0 0 12 
			 Suffolk 2 10 4 5 6 5 
			 Surrey 1 5 4 4 9 4 
			 Sussex 17 34 19 11 35 13 
			 Thames Valley 9 26 18 8 17 10 
			 Warwickshire 7 8 1 3 7 4 
			 West Mercia 1 4 6 1 1 2 
			 West Midlands 9 26 67 13 52 87 
			 West Yorkshire 10 19 11 6 18 15 
			 Wiltshire 3 12 7 6 9 6 
			 Dyfed-Powys 2 4 10 4 7 5 
			 Gwent 0 3 13 2 3 13 
			 North Wales 7 15 26 3 11 19 
			 South Wales 27 17 30 11 16 37 
			 Total 105,323 151,633 982,679 106,187 155,538 1,003,555 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of persons 
			   2001  2002 
			  Police f orce  Immediate custody  Community sentence  Fine  Immediate custody  Community sentence  Fine 
			 Avon and Somerset 16 35 18 25 53 21 
			 Bedfordshire 3 17 7 5 16 6 
			 Cambridgeshire 4 10 6 5 18 9 
			 Cheshire 1 13 7 5 10 21 
			 City of London 2 3 3 0 0 7 
			 Cleveland 2 14 6 9 16 19 
			 Cumbria 1 15 6 4 18 10 
			 Derbyshire 17 21 6 11 31 13 
			 Devon and Cornwall 8 19 19 10 37 31 
			 Dorset 6 6 8 13 13 13 
			 Durham 1 10 8 1 26 22 
			 Essex 27 55 9 43 48 6 
			 Gloucestershire 1 8 9 3 7 7 
			 Greater Manchester 30 82 76 34 104 70 
			 Hampshire 13 51 24 13 47 25 
			 Hertfordshire 2 13 4 10 21 12 
			 Humberside 7 18 7 6 26 18 
			 Kent 12 19 23 5 15 8 
			 Lancashire 9 25 31 10 31 26 
			 Leicestershire 11 35 9 11 40 15 
			 Lincolnshire 6 10 8 8 11 14 
			 Merseyside 13 28 49 14 39 66 
			 Metropolitan Police 262 473 449 319 698 479 
			 Norfolk 4 21 4 9 23 11 
			 North Yorkshire 6 18 9 4 25 10 
			 Northamptonshire 2 1 0 1 0 1 
			 Northumbria 15 53 35 17 55 36 
			 Nottinghamshire 6 31 7 7 42 7 
			 South Yorkshire 8 36 28 19 49 33 
			 Staffordshire 6 6 13 12 25 17 
			 Suffolk 2 12 7 6 24 10 
			 Surrey 2 15 7 2 15 6 
			 Sussex 10 43 19 25 55 22 
			 Thames Valley 13 33 14 12 31 15 
			 Warwickshire 2 10 2 3 17 5 
			 West Mercia 2 4 1 0 2 1 
			 West Midlands 26 119 113 43 97 138 
			 West Yorkshire 9 45 13 13 40 24 
			 Wiltshire 3 7 12 5 17 7 
			 Dyfed-Powys 4 9 5 1 9 12 
			 Gwent 1 3 11 2 13 11 
			 North Wales 8 14 23 9 28 25 
			 South Wales 6 29 31 12 34 38 
			 Total 106,273 164,997 920,474 111,607 186,520 963,977 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of persons 
			   2003  2004 
			  Police force  Immediate custody  Community sentence  Fine  Immediate custody  Community sentence  Fine 
			 Avon and Somerset 19 52 21 21 59 22 
			 Bedfordshire 17 21 7 11 35 8 
			 Cambridgeshire 4 13 7 8 29 10 
			 Cheshire 11 17 12 5 18 12 
			 City of London 1 0 7 1 3 4 
			 Cleveland 6 28 9 7 32 11 
			 Cumbria 3 30 5 4 22 7 
			 Derbyshire 13 40 12 18 46 18 
			 Devon and Cornwall 14 43 32 15 42 15 
			 Dorset 8 11 8 10 15 10 
			 Durham 9 22 15 6 23 16 
			 Essex 36 79 12 54 129 13 
			 Gloucestershire 3 10 11 8 18 10 
			 Greater Manchester 39 113 52 39 152 49 
			 Hampshire 13 78 31 23 86 26 
			 Hertfordshire 13 36 20 9 43 12 
			 Humberside 9 19 15 6 56 12 
			 Kent 7 14 9 1 7 3 
			 Lancashire 10 49 36 9 71 39 
			 Leicestershire 16 29 17 13 47 17 
			 Lincolnshire 3 27 19 7 21 8 
			 Merseyside 16 57 48 24 79 56 
			 Metropolitan Police 289 614 473 286 673 353 
			 Norfolk 6 33 8 10 35 10 
			 North Yorkshire 5 25 10 6 30 17 
			 Northamptonshire 2 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Northumbria 21 66 35 16 77 33 
			 Nottinghamshire 12 41 15 20 76 6 
			 South Yorkshire 12 52 34 12 41 29 
			 Staffordshire 7 16 15 8 36 17 
			 Suffolk 8 20 5 14 25 13 
			 Surrey 4 12 7 2 18 10 
			 Sussex 21 51 18 18 60 13 
			 Thames Valley 14 34 11 12 49 20 
			 Warwickshire 4 9 1 3 14 5 
			 West Mercia 1 1 0 2 7 3 
			 West Midlands 43 98 119 48 137 101 
			 West Yorkshire 15 45 29 15 81 32 
			 Wiltshire 4 12 4 5 14 9 
			 Dyfed-Powys 1 11 13 2 10 11 
			 Gwent 0 4 15 3 20 16 
			 North Wales 5 19 23 10 22 17 
			 South Wales 11 37 35 12 55 35 
			 Total 107,670 191,681 1,024,165 106,322 202,946 1,072,502 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of persons 
			   2005  2006 
			  Police  f orce  Immediate custody  Community sentence  Fine  Immediate custody  Community sentence  Fine 
			 Avon and Somerset 15 51 12 31 77 9 
			 Bedfordshire 15 31 15 19 27 4 
			 Cambridgeshire 11 23 10 11 34 9 
			 Cheshire 9 42 11 16 37 8 
			 City of London 1 7 8 0 5 3 
			 Cleveland 10 31 5 9 28 9 
			 Cumbria 7 24 8 6 26 5 
			 Derbyshire 20 34 14 13 36 9 
			 Devon and Cornwall 26 66 22 18 42 15 
			 Dorset 12 23 5 10 25 9 
			 Durham 12 27 22 9 46 9 
			 Essex 61 83 1 46 80 6 
			 Gloucestershire 7 10 8 7 15 7 
			 Greater Manchester 52 171 38 48 201 25 
			 Hampshire 18 96 20 31 90 8 
			 Hertfordshire 16 45 8 13 48 5 
			 Humberside 18 56 15 21 49 6 
			 Kent 2 12 0 2 6 0 
			 Lancashire 20 69 30 17 58 24 
			 Leicestershire 13 52 6 10 68 9 
			 Lincolnshire 8 14 13 9 24 11 
			 Merseyside 34 86 46 39 115 28 
			 Metropolitan Police 296 825 277 312 806 203 
			 Norfolk 15 32 5 15 24 5 
			 North Yorkshire 8 26 9 9 28 5 
			 Northamptonshire 1 5 0 2 0 0 
			 Northumbria 19 95 37 19 91 36 
			 Nottinghamshire 17 66 10 17 80 8 
			 South Yorkshire 17 81 35 23 70 14 
			 Staffordshire 10 22 13 19 37 9 
			 Suffolk 5 28 18 22 39 9 
			 Surrey 2 20 5 8 14 6 
			 Sussex 19 54 11 27 75 3 
			 Thames Valley 26 73 20 32 85 9 
			 Warwickshire 1 16 3 3 15 3 
			 West Mercia 16 43 16 18 48 8 
			 West Midlands 61 117 92 70 171 64 
			 West Yorkshire 21 85 28 17 94 20 
			 Wiltshire 6 22 7 7 28 8 
			 Dyfed-Powys 10 15 8 2 11 3 
			 Gwent 2 18 6 5 21 16 
			 North Wales 8 38 14 22 38 24 
			 South Wales 18 63 20 36 58 19 
			 Total 101,236 204,247 1,016,208 — — — 
			 (1) Principal offence basis.  Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source: RDS-NOMS, Ministry of Justice

Prison Service: Retirement

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) prison officers and  (b) other prison staff at each prison retired due to medical reasons in each of the last 10 years.

Maria Eagle: Information on the number of prison officers and other prison staff at each Prison Service establishment who retired due to medical reasons each year since 1998 is contained in the following tables.
	
		
			  Medical retirement: Prison officers, senior officers and principal officers at public sector establishments 1998 to 2007 
			  Establishment  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  Total 
			 Acklington — 1 — 1 1 1 — — — 3 7 
			 Albany 4 1 1 — — 2 — — — 1 9 
			 Aldington (closed) 1 — — — — — — — — — 1 
			 Ashwell 1 — — — 2 — 1 2 — — 6 
			 Askham Grange — — — 1 — 1 — — — — 2 
			 Aylesbury 2 — — 4 — 1 — — 1 — 8 
			 Bedford — — — 2 3 — — — 2 — 7 
			 Belmarsh 3 2 5 1 3 1 2 — 3 — 20 
			 Birmingham 1 — 4 3 4 — 2 1 — — 15 
			 Blakenhurst — — — — — — — 2 — — 2 
			 Blantyre House — — 2 — — — — — — — 2 
			 Blundeston 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 4 2 1 16 
			 Brinsford 1 1 — — — 1 1 — — 1 5 
			 Bristol 8 3 1 4 1 2 1 — — — 20 
			 Brixton 4 5 3 9 4 5 1 — — — 31 
			 Brockhill — — 1 — 1 1  — — — 3 
			 Buckley Hall — — — — — 1 1 — — — 2 
			 Bullingdon 2 2 1 1 2 — — 1 1 — 10 
			 Bullwood Hall 1 — — 1 — — — 1 — — 3 
			 Camp Hill 1 1 2 — — 2 — — 2 — 8 
			 Canterbury 1 — 2 — 1 1 — 1 1 — 7 
			 Cardiff 3 1 2 3 2 2 1 2 1 — 17 
			 Castington — 4 2 2 6 2 1 — — — 17 
			 Channings Wood 4 — 1 — 1 2 1 1 1 — 11 
			 Chelmsford 4 3 2 3 — 1 1 1 — 1 16 
			 Coldingley — — — — 1 — 1 — — — 2 
			 Cookham Wood 1 1 1  1 — 1 2 2 — 9 
			 Dartmoor — 1 5 3 2 2 — — — — 13 
			 Deerbolt 2 3 1 1 — 1 — 1 — 1 10 
			 Dorchester 3 — — 1 — 1 — 2 1 — 8 
			 Dover 2 2 1 1 1 — — 2 1 1 11 
			 Downview — — 2 1 — — 1 — — — 4 
			 Drake Hall — — — — — — — 1 — — 1 
			 Durham 6 4 3 — 1 2 — 3 2 — 21 
			 East Sutton Park 1 — 1 — — — — — — — 2 
			 Eastwood Park 1 1 1 — — 1 1 — — — 5 
			 Edmunds Hill — — — — — 1 — — — — 1 
			 Elmley — 1 1 1 — — 1 — 1 — 5 
			 Erlestoke 2 1 — 1 2 — — — — — 6 
			 Everthorpe 1 1 — — — — — 1 — — 3 
			 Exeter 4 6 2 2 4 2 4 5 3 — 32 
			 Featherstone 4 1 — 2 — — — 1 — — 8 
			 Feltham 4 2 3 3 4 3 2 1 1 — 23 
			 Ford 1 1 — — — — — 1 — 1 4 
			 Foston Hall — 1 — — — — — 2 — 1 4 
			 Frankland — 2 — 3 3 2 1 1 4 2 18 
			 Full Sutton — 4 3 4 — — 1 1 — 1 14 
			 Garth 1 1 — 3 2 — — 1 1 1 10 
			 Gartree 1 — 1 1 1 1 — — — 2 7 
			 Glen Parva 6 4 — — 1 1 1 1 2 1 17 
			 Gloucester 2 3 — 2 — 2 1 1 2 1 14 
			 Grendon 3 1 1 — 2 — 3 — — — 10 
			 Guys Marsh 2 — — 3 2 1 — 1 1 — 10 
			 Haslar — — — 1 1 1 — 1 — — 4 
			 Hatfield — 1 — 1 — — — — — — 2 
			 Haverigg 1 — 2 — 2 — — — 1 — 6 
			 Hewell Grange 1 1 — — — — — — — 1 3 
			 High Down 4 1 2 — 4 2 1 1 1 — 16 
			 Highpoint 1 2 — 1 1 — — — — — 5 
			 Hindley 1 2 — 2 2 8 1 3 — — 19 
			 Hollesley Bay 1 2 4 — — — — — — — 7 
			 Holloway — 3 2 2 3 3 1 1 — — 15 
			 Holme House 1 5 1 1 1 2 — — — — 11 
			 Hull 6 1 — 1 — 3 — 1 1  13 
			 Huntercombe — 1 — 2 — 3 4 — 1 1 12 
			 Kingston — 1 — 2 — 1 2 — — — 6 
			 Kirkham 3 1 2 1 — — — — — — 7 
			 Lancaster 2 — — — 2 — 1 — — 4 9 
			 Lancaster Farms 3 1 1 2 — 1 2 2 2 1 15 
			 Latchmere House — — — — — 1 — 1 — — 2 
			 Leeds 3 3 1 — 2 2 3 1 1 — 16 
			 Leicester 2 1 1 3 1 — — — — — 8 
			 Lewes — 1 1 2 3 — 4 — 3 3 17 
			 Leyhill — 1 — — — 1 — — 1 — 3 
			 Lincoln 1 2 3 — 1 1 — — — 1 9 
			 Lindholme — 1 2 1 — — 1 1 1 — 7 
			 Littlehey 2 1 2 3 1 1 — 1 — — 11 
			 Liverpool 4 2 2 2 3 7 4 4 — 3 31 
			 Long Lartin 6 5 6 2 — — — 1 — 1 21 
			 Low Newton 4 1 — — — — 2 1 — — 8 
			 Maidstone 4 1 — 1 — 4 4 1 — — 15 
			 Manchester 1 4 5 — 4 2 1 — 2 — 19 
			 Moorland — 1 3 — 2 1 — 1 2 1 11 
			 Morton Hall — — 1 — — — — — — — 1 
			 New Hall 2 — 2 — 1 1 1 — 1 1 9 
			 North Sea Camp 1 1 — — 1 — — 1 2 — 6 
			 Northallerton 1 2 — 1 — 2 2 1 — — 9 
			 Norwich 5 — 1 3 1 2 — 1 1 — 14 
			 Nottingham 2 3 — 1 1 1 — — — 1 9 
			 Onley — 1 — — 3 4 1 1 2 — 12 
			 Parkhurst 2 — 4 2 2 1 1 1 — — 13 
			 Pentonville 7 3 1 3 1 3 3 3 — — 24 
			 Portland — 2 2 — — 2 4 2 1 1 14 
			 Preston 5 6 3 — 1 2 2 1 1 — 21 
			 Ranby 2 1 1 — 2 1 — — 1 — 8 
			 Reading — 2 1 3 2 1 1 1 1 — 12 
			 Risley 4 3 5 5 3 6 2 — 3 — 31 
			 Rochester 1 3 4 3 2 7 3 2 1 1 27 
			 Send 1 — — 1 — — — — — — 2 
			 Sheppey — — — — — — — — — 1 1 
			 Shepton Mallet — 4 1 — 1 — 1 1 — — 8 
			 Shrewsbury 2 1 — 1 2 2 1 — — 1 10 
			 Stafford 6 1 1 1 — 3 — — — 1 13 
			 Standford Hill — 1 2 — 2 2 — — 1 — 8 
			 Stocken 2 — — 2 1 1 1 1 3 2 13 
			 Stoke Heath 2 1 3 — 4 5 4 1 1 — 21 
			 Styal — 2 2 2 — — — 1 — 2 9 
			 Sudbury 2 — — 1 — — — 1 — — 4 
			 Swaleside 1 1 — 1 — — 1 — 1 — 5 
			 Swansea 2 3 1 1 1 2 — — 1 — 11 
			 Swinfen Hall 1 1 — — 1 — — — — — 3 
			 The Mount — — 2 — — — 1 — — — 3 
			 The Verne 1 2 1 — 1 2 — 1 2 — 10 
			 Thorn Cross 2 — — 2 — 1 3 — — — 8 
			 Usk/Prescoed 1 2 — — — — — — — — 3 
			 Wakefield 5 9 3 4 2 4 3 1 2 1 34 
			 Wandsworth 1 4 4 1 2 4 4 — 2 — 22 
			 Warren Hill — — — — — 1 — 1 — — 2 
			 Wealstun 1 2 1 1 — — 1 — 1 1 8 
			 Weare — 1 — 2 — — — — — — 3 
			 Wellingborough 1 — 1  1 — 1 — — — 4 
			 Werrington 1 2 2 1 — 1 2 — 1 2 12 
			 Wetherby — 1 3 — 4 3 2 1 1 1 16 
			 Whatton — 1 1 — — 1 — 1 — — 4 
			 Whitemoor 3 3 6 3 2 4 — 1 — 2 24 
			 Winchester 4 5 1 2 — 3 1 2 — — 18 
			 Woodhill — 1 — — — 1 3 1 2 2 10 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 4 3 5 1 2 5 2 — — 1 23 
			 Wymott 2 2 1 — 2 — 2 3 — 2 14 
			 Total 217 194 162 146 140 169 116 96 83 58 1381 
		
	
	
		
			  Medical retirement: all other grades at public sector establishments 1998 to 2007 
			  Establishment  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  Total 
			 Acklington 1 — 1 2 1 1 — — 1 1 8 
			 Albany 1 — — 1 1 2 2 — 1 — 8 
			 Ashwell — — 1 3 — — — — — — 4 
			 Aylesbury — 1 — 1 3 1 — — 1 — 7 
			 Bedford — — — — 2 — — — — — 2 
			 Belmarsh 5 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 — — 14 
			 Birmingham — 1 — 1 3 — — 2 — — 7 
			 Blantyre House — — — — — — — — — 1 1 
			 Blundeston — — 1 — 1 — — — — — 2 
			 Brinsford 3 1 1 1 — 1 — — — — 7 
			 Bristol 3 3 5 1 3 1 — 2 — — 18 
			 Brixton — 1 2 4 1 — 2 — — — 10 
			 Buckley Hall — — — — — — 1 — — — 1 
			 Bullingdon — — — — — — 1 — — — 1 
			 Bullwood Hall — 1 1 — 1 — — — — — 3 
			 Camp Hill 1 1 1 — 1 1 — — 1 — 6 
			 Canterbury — — 1 — — — — — — — 1 
			 Cardiff 2 — — — — 1 3 — — — 6 
			 Castington 1 2 1 — 2 1 — — 1 — 8 
			 Channings Wood 1 — 3 1 1 1 — — — — 7 
			 Chelmsford 2 — — 2 — — — — — — 4 
			 Coldingley — 1 — 2 1 — 2 — — — 6 
			 Cookham Wood — — — 1 — — — — — — 1 
			 Dartmoor — — 2 — 1 1 3 — 1 — 8 
			 Deerbolt 1 1 1 — — — 1 — 1 — 5 
			 Dorchester 1 1 — 1 — — — — 1 — 4 
			 Dover 2 — 2 — 3 — 1 — — — 8 
			 Drake Hall 1 — — — 1 — — — — — 2 
			 Durham 1 4 — 2 2 1 2 1 1 1 15 
			 East Sutton Park — 1 — — — — 1 — — — 2 
			 Eastwood Park 1 2 — 1 — 1 — 1 — — 6 
			 Edmunds Hill — — — — — — — — — 1 1 
			 Elmley — 3 1 — 1 — — 1 — — 6 
			 Erlestoke 2 — 1 — — — — — — — 3 
			 Everthorpe 1 — 1 1 2 — — — — 1 6 
			 Exeter 1 2 4 1 1 2 1 — 1 1 14 
			 Featherstone — 1 1 1 — — 3 1 — 1 8 
			 Feltham — 2 3 — 1 1 — 1 — 1 9 
			 Ford 1 1 2 — — 1 2 — 1 — 8 
			 Frankland 1 3 2 3 1 3 1 — — — 14 
			 Full Sutton 2 — 1 1 1 1 1 — — — 7 
			 Garth 1 3 4 2 1 — 1 1 1 — 14 
			 Gartree 1 1 — — 1 — 1 — — — 4 
			 Glen Parva 3 1 1 — — 1 — — — 1 7 
			 Gloucester 1 — 1 — 1 — — — — — 3 
			 Grendon 5 — 1 — 1 — — 1 — — 8 
			 Guys Marsh 2 1 — — 1 — — 2 — — 6 
			 Haslar — — — — — — — — — 1 1 
			 Hatfield 2 — — — — — — — — — 2 
			 Haverigg — 1 3 — — — — — 1 — 5 
			 Hewell Grange — — — — — — — 1 — — 1 
			 High Down 1 2 2 — — 2 1 2 1 — 11 
			 Highpoint 2 1 1 — 1 1 — 1 — 1 8 
			 Hindley 2 — 2 2 — 2 — — 1 — 9 
			 Hollesley Bay 1 — — 1 — — — 1 — 1 4 
			 Holloway 2 3 — 1 — 1 1 — — — 8 
			 Holme House 1 — — — — — — — 1 — 2 
			 Hull 1 — 3 — — 1 2 1 — — 8 
			 Huntercombe — 1 — 1 — 1 — — — — 3 
			 Kingston — — — 1 — — 1 — — — 2 
			 Kirkham 4 2 — — 1 1 — 1 — — 9 
			 Kirklevington Grange 1 1 — — — — — — — — 2 
			 Lancaster — 1 — — — — — — — — 1 
			 Lancaster Farms 1 1 1 1 1 1 — — 1 — 7 
			 Latchmere House — — — — — — — — 1 — 1 
			 Leeds 1 — 5 — 1 1 2 2 1 2 15 
			 Leicester 1 1 — 1 1 — — — 1 — 5 
			 Lewes 2 — — — — — — — — 1 3 
			 Leyhill 1 — 3 2 — 1 — 3 — — 10 
			 Lincoln — 2 1 1 — — — 1 1 — 6 
			 Lindholme 3 2 3 — — — 1 — — — 9 
			 Littlehey — — 1 2 1 3 — — — — 7 
			 Liverpool 4 — 3 — 1 1 2 1 — — 12 
			 Long Lartin — 3 — — 1 — 1 — — — 5 
			 Low Newton 1 2 1 — 2 1 — — — 1 8 
			 Maidstone 1 1 2 — 1 — 5 — — — 10 
			 Manchester — 4 2 3 — 1 — 1 — 1 12 
			 Moorland 1 — — 1 — 1 — 1 1 — 5 
			 Morton Hall 2 — — 1 — — 1 — — — 4 
			 New Hall 2 1 — — — — — 1 1 — 5 
			 North Sea Camp — — — 1 1 — 1 1 2 — 6 
			 Northallerton — 1 — 2 — — — — — — 3 
			 Norwich 3 1 2 3 — 1 1 1 1 — 13 
			 Nottingham 1 2 — — 1 — 1 — — — 5 
			 Onley 2 2 — — 1 2 1 1 1 — 10 
			 Parkhurst 1 — — 3 — 2 — — 4 — 10 
			 Pentonville 1 1 1 2 — 2 — 2 — 1 10 
			 Portland 3 1 — 1 — — 2 — — — 7 
			 Preston 2 2 1 — — 1 — 2 — 1 9 
			 Ranby 1 2 1 1 — 1 2 — 1 1 10 
			 Reading — 1 — — — — — — 1 — 2 
			 Risley — 1 2 1 2 1 2 — — — 9 
			 Rochester 1 2 — 1 2 — — — 2 1 9 
			 Send 1 — — — — — 1 — — — 2 
			 Shepton Mallet — — — 1 — — — — — — 1 
			 Shrewsbury — 1 — — — — — 1 1 1 4 
			 Stafford — 1 3 — 1 — — — — 1 6 
			 Standford Hill 3 2 2 — 2 1 1 — — 1 12 
			 Stocken — — — — — 1 — — 1 1 3 
			 Stoke Heath 1 — — 2 — — 3 — — 1 7 
			 Styal 1 2 3 1 1 1 1 2 — 3 15 
			 Sudbury 1 1 1 — 1 2 — — — — 6 
			 Swaleside 1 2 1 1 — — — — — 1 6 
			 Swansea 2 2 1 — — 2 1 — — — 8 
			 Swinfen Hall 1 1 1 — 1 1 — — — 1 6 
			 The Mount — — 1 — 1 — — — 1 — 3 
			 The Verne 2 3 2 — — 1 — — 2 — 10 
			 Thorn Cross — — 2 — 1 — — — — — 3 
			 Usk/Prescoed 2 2 — 1 — — — — 1 — 6 
			 Wakefield 2 2 1 2 1 2 — 1 1 1 13 
			 Wandsworth 2 2 — — 1 2 — — — — 7 
			 Warren Hill — — — — — — — 1 — 2 3 
			 Wayland — — — — — 1 2 — 1 — 4 
			 Wealstun — 1 1 1 — — — — — 1 4 
			 Weare — — — — — — — — 1 — 1 
			 Wellingborough 1 — — 1 1 — — 1 — — 4 
			 Werrington 1 — — — — 1 — — — — 2 
			 Wetherby — — — — — — — — 1 — 1 
			 Whatton — — 1 1 1 1 — — — 1 5 
			 Whitemoor 1 2 — — 1 — — 1 — 1 6 
			 Winchester 1 1 1 — — 1 — — — — 4 
			 Woodhill 1 — 1 — — — — 1 3 — 6 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 1 1 1 — 1 1 — 1 — — 6 
			 Wymott 2 4 2 1 — 1 — — 1 — 11 
			 Total 127 116 112 80 73 71 66 47 49 37 778 
		
	
	
		
			  Medical Retirement — Prison officer equivalent (Prison custody officer and senior prison custody officer) at contracted establishments - 1998 to 2007 
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Altcourse(1) n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s 
			 Ashfield Not open 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Bronzefield Not open Not open Not open Not open Not open Not open n/s n/s n/s n/s 
			 Doncaster Doncaster has had a total of five Officers medically retired in the last ten years. The contractor has not been able to provide data broken down by year. 
			 Dovegate Not open Not open Not open 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Forest Bank Not open Not open n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s 
			 Lowdham Grange 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Parc 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Peterborough Not open Not open Not open Not open Not open Not open Not open n/s n/s n/s 
			 Rye Hill(1) n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s 
			 Wolds(1) n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s 
		
	
	
		
			  Medical r etirement - All  o ther  s taff at  c ontracted  e stablishments - 1998 to 2007 
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Altcourse(1) n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s 
			 Ashfield Not open 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Bronzefield Not open Not open Not open Not open Not open Not open n/s n/s n/s n/s 
			 Doncaster Doncaster has had eight staff medically retired. The contractor has not been able to provide data broken down by year. 
			 Dovegate Not open Not open Not open 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Forest Bank Not open Not open n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s 
			 Lowdham Grange 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Parc 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Peterborough Not open Not open Not open Not open Not open Not open Not open n/s n/s n/s 
			 Rye Hill(1) Not open Not open Not open n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s 
			 Wolds(1) n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s n/s 
			 (1) Data on the number of staff medically retired has been provided by GSL as a combined figure for all three establishments Altcourse, Rye Hill and Wolds for all officers and staff. A total of eight staff have been medically retired since 2004. Data prior to 2004 is not available and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.  Note: n/s — Not supplied by the contractor within the time scale given. Information may become available at a later date.

Prisoners on Remand

Denis Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many unconvicted prisoners are held in each prison in England and Wales; and how many were held in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: The following table shows the number of untried remand prisoners held in each prison establishment in England and Wales as at 31 January 2008 (the most recent figures available) and at 30 June each year since 2003.
	
		
			  Prison  June 2003  June 2004  June 2005  June 2006  June 2007  January 2008 
			 Acklington — — — — — — 
			 Albany — — — — — — 
			 Altcourse 177 158 152 152 164 157 
			 Ashfield 71 43 39 42 53 38 
			 Ashwell — — — — — — 
			 Askham Grange — — — — — — 
			 Aylesbury — — — — — — 
			 Bedford 153 114 108 103 106 109 
			 Belmarsh 366 395 344 299 318 273 
			 Birmingham 326 333 353 352 341 334 
			 Blakenhurst 207 235 270 242 246 241 
			 Blantyre House — — — — — — 
			 Blundestone — — — — — — 
			 Brinsford 125 142 124 110 133 101 
			 Bristol 151 150 136 149 153 135 
			 Brixton 284 349 241 285 284 285 
			 Brockhill 50 45 38 17 — — 
			 Bronzefield — 22 137 162 203 173 
			 Buckley Hall — — — — — — 
			 Bullingdon 104 113 129 142 154 142 
			 Bullwood Hall — — — — — — 
			 Camp Hill — — — — — — 
			 Canterbury — — — — — — 
			 Cardiff 94 135 129 112 132 128 
			 Castington 60 69 63 63 57 52 
			 Channings Wood — — — — — — 
			 Chelmsford 147 155 150 147 174 177 
			 Coldingley — — — — — — 
			 Cookham Wood — — — — — — 
			 Dartmoor — — — — — — 
			 Deerbolt — — — — — — 
			 Doncaster 215 172 209 231 228 248 
			 Dorchester 45 39 60 56 66 63 
			 Dovegate — — — — — — 
			 Dover — — — — — — 
			 Downview — 3 9 7 3 3 
			 Drake Hall — — — — — — 
			 Durham 179 176 176 189 167 157 
			 East Sutton Park — — — — — — 
			 Eastwood Park 77 54 40 67 66 64 
			 Edmunds Hill — 75 — — — — 
			 Elmley 197 153 247 204 263 178 
			 Erlestoke — — — — — — 
			 Everthorpe — — — — — — 
			 Exeter 133 132 122 129 108 116 
			 Featherstone — — — — — — 
			 Feltham 220 291 299 320 295 314 
			 Ford — — — — — — 
			 Forest Bank 154 218 244 245 243 296 
			 Foston Hall — — 14 12 14 22 
			 Frankland — — 5 — — — 
			 Full Sutton — — — — — — 
			 Garth — — — — — — 
			 Gartree — — — — — — 
			 Glen Parva 94 95 123 174 115 108 
			 Gloucester 64 72 60 66 53 59 
			 Grendon/Spring Hill — — — — — — 
			 Guys Marsh — — — — — — 
			 Haslar — — — — — — 
			 Haverigg — — — — — — 
			 Hewell Grange — — — — — — 
			 Highdown 219 176 189 190 206 248 
			 Highpoint North 73 — — — — — 
			 Hindley 19 22 22 30 24 20 
			 Hollesley Bay — — — — — — 
			 Holloway 188 179 126 88 114 106 
			 Holme House 156 129 118 127 167 141 
			 Hull 181 139 171 145 172 152 
			 Huntercombe — — — — — — 
			 Kennet — — — — — — 
			 Kingston (Portsmouth) — — — — — — 
			 Kirkham — — — — — — 
			 Kirklevington — — — — — — 
			 Lancaster — — — — — — 
			 Lancaster Farms 115 72 67 47 115 60 
			 Latchmere House — — — — — — 
			 Leeds 268 221 216 186 172 191 
			 Leicester 88 121 110 105 112 101 
			 Lewes 140 113 119 161 144 142 
			 Leyhill — — — — — — 
			 Lincoln 93 71 95 78 147 123 
			 Lindholme — — — — — — 
			 Littlehey — — — — — — 
			 Liverpool 192 149 152 179 178 187 
			 Long Lartin — — — — — — 
			 Low Newton 26 20 30 28 32 24 
			 Lowdham Grange — — — — — — 
			 Maidstone — — — — — — 
			 Manchester 249 210 220 213 215 206 
			 Moorland — — — — — — 
			 Moorland Open — — — — — — 
			 Morton Hall — — — — — — 
			 New Hall 59 51 39 32 40 42 
			 North Sea Camp — — — — — — 
			 Northallerton — — — — — — 
			 Norwich 89 113 135 119 71 58 
			 Nottingham 164 122 154 102 141 114 
			 Onley 39 — — — — — 
			 Parc 58 69 53 56 54 52 
			 Parkhurst 11 12 14 8 10 8 
			 Pentonville 371 361 450 438 425 370 
			 Peterborough — — 121 125 131 179 
			 Portland — — — — — — 
			 Preston 166 167 141 187 182 161 
			 Ranby — — — — — — 
			 Reading 46 33 49 57 88 65 
			 Risley — — — — — — 
			 Rochester — — — — — — 
			 Rye Hill — — — — — — 
			 Send — — — — — — 
			 Shepton Mallet — — — — — — 
			 Shrewsbury 90 59 46 53 74 77 
			 Stafford — — — — — — 
			 Standford Hill — — — — — — 
			 Stocken — — — — — — 
			 Stoke Heath 21 40 33 32 25 26 
			 Styal 84 69 62 59 65 63 
			 Sudbury — — — — — — 
			 Swaleside — — — — — — 
			 Swansea 71 67 85 68 68 77 
			 Swinfen Hall — — — — — — 
			 The Mount — — — — — — 
			 The Verne — — — — — — 
			 The Weare — — — — — — 
			 The Wolds — — — — — — 
			 Thorn Cross — — — — — — 
			 Usk/Prescoed — — — — — — 
			 Wakefield — — — — — — 
			 Wandsworth 313 312 319 351 370 343 
			 Warren Hill — 20 30 18 11 11 
			 Wayland — — — — — — 
			 Wealstun — — — — — — 
			 Wellingborough — — — — — — 
			 Werrington — — — — 1 1 
			 Wetherby 43 34 28 43 41 138 
			 Whatton — — — — — — 
			 Whitemoor — — — — — — 
			 Winchester 125 134 138 129 121 107 
			 Woodhill 197 229 247 202 208 226 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 249 264 284 330 317 322 
			 Wymott — — — — — — 
			 Total 7,896 7,716 8,084 8,064 8,387 8,014 
		
	
	The table is drawn from F1032 tables, copies of which were sent to the House of Commons Library at time of issue.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners Release

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what account prison governors take of representations from  (a) psychiatrists and  (b) legal counsel in determining the eligibility date for early release of an offender; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what mechanisms exist to ensure that, in determining the eligibility of an inmate for early release, a prison governor,  (a) has access to and  (b) takes full account of (i) a complete set of the papers involved in the case and (ii) a full report of the sentence from the sentencing judge; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The only decisions governors make are in respect of home detention curfew (HDC) and End of Custody Licence (ECL).
	Prisoners may only be released on HDC subject to meeting the eligibility criteria and passing a risk assessment. Prisoners who are assessed as presenting a high risk to the public or a victim, who have a high risk of reoffending during the curfew period or who are likely to be unable to comply with the curfew condition will not be granted HDC.
	Psychiatric reports may be included in the assessment of risk, where appropriate. Legal representations are unlikely to be included in the risk assessment unless they present evidence that affects the assessment of risk.
	A streamlined, presumptive HDC scheme exists for prisoners serving less than 12 months. Under the scheme eligible prisoners serving sentences of between three months and under 12 months are released on HDC unless there are compelling reasons not to do so. This streamlined scheme is applicable only to low risk, less serious offenders. Drug dealers and violent offenders are not eligible for Presumptive HDC and are subject to the standard risk assessment process. Psychiatric reports would not routinely be examined where a prisoner is eligible to be considered for Presumptive HDC.
	Details of the sentence(s) currently being served by the prisoner are set out on the warrant of imprisonment which, in the case of sentences imposed by a Crown court, are supplemented by the court record sheet. Details of the current sentences are provided to the governor as part of the HDC case papers. Comments made by the sentencer at the time of sentencing are not normally provided to the prison unless the prisoner's release is subject to a decision by the Parole Board.
	Under ECL, prisoners serving between four weeks and four years are released under temporary licence for the final 18 days of their sentence subject to meeting strict eligibility criteria and providing a release address. There is no individual assessment of risk; however the most serious violent offenders and registered sex offenders are excluded from the scheme.

Prisoners Release

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  under what circumstances an inmate sentenced to serve a 12 month prison sentence could be released after serving just three months in custody; on how many occasions this has occurred in each of the last five years; what proportion of those sentenced to serve 12 months this represents in that period; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many inmates serving sentences of 12 months or less have received remission of  (a) 90 days or  (b) less than 90 days in considering eligibility for early release; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: Prisoners serving a sentence of 12 months could be released on home detention curfew (HDC) after serving a minimum of three months in custody, subject to meeting the eligibility criteria for early release and passing the risk assessment.
	The following table shows the number of prisoners serving a sentence of between three months and 12 months who would be potentially eligible for HDC and, of these, the number released on HDC and the proportion.
	
		
			   Potentially eligible population in sentence length band  Released  Percentage 
			 2002 30,574 10,680 35 
			 2003 32,098 10,533 33 
			 2004 32,011 10,204 32 
			 2005 30,273 8,507 28 
			 2006 29,389 6,114 21 
		
	
	Data are not available on the actual periods served on HDC by each prisoner released. The maximum period that a prisoner may serve on HDC is tapered according to length of sentence. Prisoners serving sentences of between three months and 12 months may serve between 15 days and three months on HDC.
	Prisoners serving between four weeks and four years who are not released early on HDC may be eligible for release up to 18 days earlier than their automatic release date (normally the half way point of sentence) under the End of Custody Licence scheme (ECL). Data about the scheme is published every month on the Ministry of justice website. Since the scheme began in June 2007 to the end of January 2008, 18,583 prisoners had been released on ECL of whom 15,175 prisoners were serving sentences of less than 12 months.
	These data have been drawn from the relevant OMCS and Prison Statistics England and Wales publications and the End of Custody Licence report, all of which may be accessed via the Ministry of Justice website.

Prisoners Release

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what account prison governors are required to take of the minimum term to be served identified by the sentencing judge in determining the early release date of an inmate; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  under whose discretion an inmate serving a prison sentence of 12 months would be released after three months, where the sentencing judge determined that a minimum of six months should be served; what conditions are placed on the exercise of such discretion; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: Statutory provisions determine when an offender will be released. In the case of an indeterminate sentence, the judge specifies a minimum term, which is served in full before release is possible. For determinate sentences, the judge specifies the total sentence length and release is then according to statutory provisions in respect of the length and type of sentence imposed.
	Prisoners serving a sentence of 12 months may be eligible for release under the Home Detention scheme up to three months earlier than their automatic release date if they meet the statutory eligibility criteria and pass the risk assessment.

Prisoners Release

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice under what circumstances an inmate would receive remission of 90 days when considering eligibility for early release from a prison sentence of 12 months or less; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: Prisoners sentenced to 12 months or less are statutorily entitled to automatic release at the half way point of their sentence. They may be released earlier under the Home Detention Curfew scheme (HDC) if they meet the statutory criteria and are considered suitable. To be released 90 days early, a prisoner must be serving a sentence of at least 360 days. Prisoners serving shorter sentences would not be eligible for release 90 days early.

Prisoners Release

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make a statement on an inmate's eligibility for early release from prison when serving a sentence of  (a) less than 12 months,  (b) between 12 months and four years and  (c) more than four years.

David Hanson: Different release provisions apply depending on the provisions under which the prisoner has been sentenced.
	Prisoners who are subject to the release provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 who are serving sentences of less than four years are automatically released at the halfway point of the sentence. Those serving sentences of four years or more are eligible for consideration for early release by the Parole Board at the half way point in their sentence and, if early release is not granted, are automatically released at the two thirds point of their sentence.
	Prisoners serving standard determinate sentences of at least 12 months who are subject to the release provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (the 2003 Act) are automatically released at the half way point in the sentence. Prisoners serving extended sentences for public protection under the provisions of the 2003 Act are eligible for consideration for release by the Parole Board at the halfway point of the custodial term.
	In the case of prisoners given indeterminate sentences for public protection or life sentences, the minimum period to be served before parole will be granted is determined by the sentencing judge and release is thereafter at the discretion of the Parole Board.
	 Early release before the halfway point of sentence
	The Home Detention Curfew scheme enables eligible prisoners serving primarily between three months and less than four years to be released, depending on their sentence length, up to 135 days earlier than their statutory automatic release date. 'Long term' prisoners serving sentences of four years who are subject to the release arrangements of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 are statutorily ineligible for HDC. Prisoners serving sentences of four years or more and who are subject to the release arrangements of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 are not statutorily excluded from HDC but are presumed unsuitable unless there are exceptional circumstances. Some groups of prisoners are excluded from HDC, such as registered sex offenders and prisoners serving extended sentences.
	Under the End of Custody Licence scheme, prisoners serving between four weeks and four years are released under temporary licence for the final 18 days of their sentence subject to meeting strict eligibility criteria and providing a release address.

Prisoners: Diabetes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many diabetics received treatment while in prison in  (a) the last 12 months and  (b) the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is not collected centrally. In April 2006, responsibility for commissioning health services in publicly run prisons in England fully devolved to national health service primary care trusts. The aim of the Gvernment is to ensure prisoners have access to the same quality and range of health care services as the general public receives from the NHS. Treatment of prisoners with diabetes is therefore provided in line with the National Service Framework on diabetes.

Prisoners: Injuries

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many detainees were involved in incidents that resulted in illness or self-harm in  (a) 2007 and  (b) in the last 10 years.

Maria Eagle: This information is not available in the form requested but we can estimate the numbers of prisoners involved in self-harm incidents from 2003, as follows.
	
		
			  Number of prisoners( 1)  involved in self-harm incidents( 2) 
			   Number 
			 2003 4,891 
			 2004 5,361 
			 2005 5,758 
			 2006 5,904 
			 2007 6,038 
			 (1) These are estimates of the number of individuals, based on 94 per cent. of recorded incidents of self-harm. Recorded self-harm is based on information supplied by prisons through the Prison Service Incident Reporting System (IRS). Self-harm is a high volume incident and is subject to technical and recording problems but the system provides a sensible indication of the numbers of incidents and individuals who self-harm. (2) Recorded self-harm incidents (and particularly figures of prisoners involved derived from them) before 2003, when new procedures were introduced, are not fit for purpose.

Prisoners: Rehabilitation

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements are in place for the provision of treatment for alcohol and drug dependencies for detainees.

David Hanson: The following treatment options are available for prisoners with an alcohol problem:
	clinical services (alcohol detoxification), available in all local and remand prisons, as well as some young offenders institutions;
	Alcoholics Anonymous run groups in 67 per cent. of prisons;
	where alcohol is part of poly-drug misuse, CARATs (counselling, assessment, referral, advice and throughcare services) are available in all prisons with the exception of HMP Blantyre House;
	a range of more intensive interventions is being piloted; and
	the Young Persons Substance Misuse Service for 16 to 18-year-olds provides support for those with both alcohol and drug problems in 18 prisons.
	A comprehensive drug treatment framework is in place to address the needs of those with drug misuse problems comprising:
	clinical services (detoxification and maintenance prescribing);
	CARAT services which also take the lead Drug Intervention Programme (DIP) role in prisons, engaging with prison resettlement teams and criminal justice integrated teams (CJITs) in the community; and
	intensive drug rehabilitation programmes, run in 99 prisons.

Prisons

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people over the age of 18 years were placed in custody in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: The requested information is contained in the following table.
	Figures for Jarrow are not available as the court proceedings database only records down to court level.
	
		
			  Number of persons aged 18 and over sentenced(1) to immediate custody in South Tyneside, the North East and England and Wales, all courts, 1997-2006 
			   Number of persons 
			  Area  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 South Tyneside(2) 86 164 231 174 206 133 129 103 137 108 
			 North East(3) 13,748 15,000 16,644 17,201 17,239 17,072 16,341 15,492 13,891 12,958 
			 England and Wales 86,758 93,349 97,670 98,773 98,677 104,191 101,470 99,997 95,221 89,816 
			 (1) Principal offence basis. (2) The South Tyneside district includes an adult and a youth court.  (3) The North East region includes; Northumbria, Durham, North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Humberside and  Cleveland.   Source: RDS-NOMS, Ministry of Justice 17 March 2008, Ref: PQ(RN)125-08 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.

Reoffenders

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2008,  Official Report, columns 383-84W, on re-offenders, what the results were of the trials of intermittent custody; and what the reasons were for the decision to make no further use of the sentence for the time being.

David Hanson: The decision to end the intermittent custody pilots was informed by the research report "Intermittent Custody Pilots: a descriptive study", which was published as Home Office Online Report 23/06 and is available electronically at:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/rdsolr2306.pdf
	Intermittent custody was seen to have had some success, but also to be a relatively expensive and appropriate for only a minority of offenders. The infrequency with which the disposal was likely to be used was not considered to justify the cost of implementation.

Resomation

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward legislation to allow for disposal of bodies via resomation; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: We do not have any plans to bring forward the changes to primary legislation necessary to allow for disposal of bodies via resomation at present. We are, however, aware of the growing interest in resomation as an alternative method of disposal. In view of this interest, we are giving consideration to the representations that have already been made to us and are exploring how best to engage more widely on this issue.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what public service agreement targets which relate to increasing access to the arts among priority groups and participation in the arts by priority groups his Department has set since 1997; and what progress has been made on each of them.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Public service agreements (PSAs) apply only to Government Departments. The Department published its first set of PSAs in December 1998 and agreed a measurement methodology in March 1999. Since then we have agreed new PSAs with HM Treasury as part of each subsequent spending review (SR). We publicly report progress against these targets in our departmental annual report (DAR) and autumn performance report (APR) each year, copies of which can be found in the House Library. Priority groups are those from black or minority ethnic groups, with a physical or mental disability, or those in the lower socio-economic groups. The PSAs relating to increasing access to and participation in the arts and the progress made on them are as follows:
	
		
			  SR period  Number  Indicative title  Outcome 
			 1998 8 Increase access to performing arts Met 
			 2000 5 Increase arts participation Met 
			 2002 2 Increase significantly take-up of arts opportunities by new users aged 20 and above from priority groups No change in attendance or participation in the arts for any priority group 
			 2004 3 Increase the number of people from priority groups who participate in arts activity at least twice a year by 2 per cent. and increase the number who attend arts events at least twice a year by 3 per cent. by 2008 Ongoing 
		
	
	Further details of each PSA can be found in the relevant DAR or APR.

Arts: Community Development

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with  (a) other government departments and  (b) local authorities on community arts projects in the last 12 months.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 14 March 2008
	My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State has had no such discussions since taking up his post in January this year. The Department, however, has recently published A Passion for Excellence, an improvement strategy for culture aimed at supporting local authorities, which includes art services. It was developed with partners in local government, major cultural non-departmental public bodies, the Improvement and Development Agency and other partners.
	Arts Council England distributes Lottery funding to a diverse range of community arts projects throughout the country and is active in the Living Places Partnership, which aims to help create thriving, vibrant communities through culture and sport.

BBC: Sponsorship

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what provisions govern the BBC's use of sponsorship in relation to  (a) live events and  (b) the broadcasting of such events subsequently; and what recent assessment has been made of the BBC's compliance with such provisions.

Andy Burnham: The BBC's use of sponsorship is governed by the relevant provisions in its Royal Charter and Framework Agreement. It is the responsibility of the BBC Trust to assess whether the BBC is complying with such provisions.

Casinos: Closures

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many land-based casinos have closed in the last 12 months.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 19 March 2008
	 Five land-based casinos have closed since 1 April 2007. Of those five, one casino has relocated to other premises and four have retained their licence but are not currently operating.

Casinos: Young People

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether he has plans to change the age of admission from 18 to 21 years old for land-based casinos.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 19 March 2008
	 The Secretary of State has made it clear that he is keen to hear Members' views on this issue. No change to the admission age to casinos will be made prior to full consultation on the matter.

Cultural Heritage: Young People

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to his Department's press release of 13 February 2008 entitled young people to get five hours of culture a week—£135 million funding boost announced, when he plans to establish the Youth Culture Trust.

Andy Burnham: We expect the Youth Culture Trust to be formally set up by the start of the financial year 2009-10. In the interim the programme of Find Your Talent pilots will be managed by the Arts Council's Creative Partnerships scheme in close partnership with all other major stakeholders working in this area.

Departmental Marketing

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much public funding has been provided to campaigns promoting  (a) responsible consumption of alcohol and  (b) responsible gambling since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The DCMS has not provided any public money to campaigns promoting responsible consumption of alcohol or gambling since 1997.
	However the Gambling Commission, (one of the Department's NDPBs) regulates gambling in the public interest. It does so by keeping crime out of gambling, by ensuring that gambling is conducted fairly and openly, and by protecting children and vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gambling.
	The Home Office and the Department for Health are leading on campaigns to challenge the binge-drinking culture and associated antisocial behaviour and to raise awareness of the risks of harmful drinking.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding has been  (a) allocated and  (b) spent on (i) reports, (ii) conferences and (iii) the public service publisher project.

Andy Burnham: Ofcom put forward the public service publisher (PSP) concept as one of several options in its first statutory Review of Public Service Broadcasting and subsequently published a discussion paper in 2007. I have asked the Chief Executive of Ofcom to write to the hon. Member setting out any costs it may have incurred.
	The Government have not commissioned any reports or held any conferences specific to the PSP concept, nor does it record separately the cost of considering individual policy issues.

Digital Broadcasting: Swansea

Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he expects to be able to give a date for the ending of analogue signals from the Kilvey transmitter in Swansea.

Andy Burnham: The Kilvey Hill transmitter will stop broadcasting analogue signals between July and September 2009. Digital UK will announce the exact date at the end of the year. Digital UK is responsible for communicating detailed dates to viewers and will be providing them with information that will help them through the process of switchover.

Digital Broadcasting: Visually Impaired

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to expand further audio description on digital television; what discussions he has had with broadcasters on this matter; and what strategy is in place to help those with visual impairment as part of the digital change over process.

Andy Burnham: The Communications Act sets minimum targets for audio description of programmes by broadcasters. It is the responsibility of Ofcom to ensure that these requirements are met and to ensure broadcasters are taking effective steps to publicise awareness of their audio description services. In this regard, Ofcom facilitated the Audio Description Awareness Campaign, which was launched by television broadcasters and the RNIB on 1 February 2008. During this six-week campaign, more than 70 television channels broadcast promotions explaining how to find out more about this valuable service.
	The Department has had no direct discussions on the above subject with broadcasters.
	The scope of the Digital Switchover Help Scheme does include those who are registered blind or partially sighted. Help is free of charge to those who are eligible and on income support or pension credit. Others will pay a £40 charge.

Digital Broadcasting: Visually Impaired

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support is available to increase access to audio description equipment via digital television.

Andy Burnham: Registered blind or partially sighted people are eligible for the Digital Switchover Help Scheme. Audio Description is accessible through the equipment provided by the scheme. Help is free of charge to those who are eligible and on income support or pension credit. Others will pay a £40 charge.

Grants: Merseyside

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was awarded to Wirral South constituency by  (a) the Big Lottery Fund,  (b) Arts Council England,  (c) Sport England and  (d) the Heritage Lottery Fund between 2002 and 2008.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Wirral South constituency from the 1 January 2002 up until 13 March 2008 received the following grants:
	
		
			  Distributing body  Total value of grants  (£) 
			 Big Lottery Fund and its predecessor bodies the Community Fund and the New Opportunities Fund 3,599,913 
			 Arts Council England 21,544 
			 Sport England 50,000 
			 Heritage Lottery Fund 812,500 
		
	
	The information is location specific. That is the list includes only grants that have been supplied as being specific to locations in the constituency and excludes grants that might have gone to addresses in the constituency, to headquarters offices for example, but are not otherwise coded as related to it. The Department's lottery grants database is searchable at:
	www.lottery.culture.gov.uk
	and uses information supplied by the lottery distributors.
	This information does not include grants reported as Awards for All.

Handball: Females

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what steps he is taking on increasing participation in competitive handball by schoolgirls;
	(2)  what steps he is taking on increasing participation in competitive aerobics by schoolgirls.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There are 21 sports with competition frameworks in place; this does not currently include handball and aerobics.
	However, we are currently working with Governing Bodies and School Sport Associations to improve their competition frameworks, and we are establishing a national network of competition managers to implement our plans at a local level.
	Ultimately, individual School Sport Partnerships decide which sports should be offered to pupils based on local needs.
	Increasing inter and intra-school sporting opportunities is a key component of the National School Sport Strategy, which is delivered jointly by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Museums: Closures

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many regional museums closed in each year since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: Since the start of the Renaissance programme in 2002, none of the regional hub museum services have closed. Information for all independent, local authority or charitably funded museums is not held centrally.

Music

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2008,  Official Report, column 321W, on music, if he will break down the figures provided for Arts Council funding by type of music.

Margaret Hodge: The Arts Council's grant in aid funding for music in 2007-08 can be broken down as follows:
	Brass receives £22,850; Chamber music receives £658,772; Choral and gospel music receives £113,380; Classical and orchestral music receives £21,455,157; Community music receives £1,888,104; Contemporary classical music receives £892,364; Contemporary popular music receives £800,118; Early Music receives £207,795; Experimental and electronic music receives £248,981; Folk music receives £320,599; Jazz music receives £1,006,801; Opera receives £36,522,425; World music receives £1,565,860; and other music receives £2,339,410.
	In addition, the Royal Opera House receives £26,252,600 which contributes to both opera and ballet. Carnivals and cultural festivals where music plays a part receive £258,570.

Performing Arts: Young People

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding his Department made available for youth  (a) theatre,  (b) dance and  (c) music in each of the last 10 years.

Margaret Hodge: Government investment and support for the arts is primarily channelled through Arts Council England (ACE). The following tables show ACE investment for regularly funded organisations (RFO) and Grants for the Arts (Gfta) for each of the artforms since 2002-03. Prior to the merger of the Arts Council of England and the Regional Arts Boards in 2002, funding was distributed nationally by the Arts Council, and regionally by the Arts Boards. Overall expenditure by artform was not collated, and for this reason it has not been possible for ACE to provide figures prior to 2002-03.
	
		
			  (a): Funding for youth theatre 
			  £ 
			   RFO funding  Gfta funding  Total 
			 2002-03 8,465,268 0 8,465,268 
			 2003-04 10,737,727 10,117,589 20,855,316 
			 2004-05 11,200,490 13,748,122 24,948,613 
			 2005-06 6,659,079 15,862,624 22,521,702 
			 2006-07 6,920,570 16,065,916 22,986,486 
			 2007-08 7,219,666 12,058,020 19,277,686 
		
	
	ACE also funds theatre organisations that are recognised as having a policy and practice to produce work for, engage with or develop education support for children and young people.
	
		
			  Youth theatre RFC 
			   £ 
			 2002-03 49,180,272 
			 2003-04 56,763,181 
			 2004-05 60,034,218 
			 2005-06 65,391,301 
			 2006-07 68,010,882 
			 2007-08 70,133,514 
		
	
	In 2005, my Department allocated £1.8 million strategic commissioning money to ACE for the development of youth theatre for the period 2005-08. The Young People's Participatory Theatre project which received £1.58 million of this funding has now received funding for 2008-09.
	
		
			  (b) Funding for youth dance: 
			  £ 
			   RFO funding  Gfta funding  Total 
			 2002-03 635,037 0 635,037 
			 2003-04 917,571 6,373,668 7,291,239 
			 2004-05 1,060,909 6,448,474 7,509,383 
			 2005-06 530,001 9,247,818 9,777,819 
			 2006-07 566,262 8,292,480 8,858,742 
			 2007-08 582,353 5,339,711 5,922,064 
		
	
	The following table shows ACE funding for regularly funded dance organisations involved in youth dance work.
	
		
			  Youth dance RFO 
			   £ 
			 2002-03 21,746,087 
			 2003-04 23,051,234 
			 2004-05 25,136,081 
			 2005-06 29,033,461 
			 2006-07 30,647,68.1 
			 2007-08 31,606,574 
		
	
	Over the last four years my Department has also provided funding of £480,000 for the Dance Links scheme which is part of the National School Sport Strategy.
	
		
			  (c) Funding for youth music: 
			  £ 
			   RFO funding  Gfta funding  Total 
			 2002-03 165,000 10,000,000 10,165,000 
			 2003-04 179,500 15,584,223 15,763,723 
			 2004-05 258,465 16,845,423 17,103,888 
			 2005-06 432,681 19,083,623 19,516,304 
			 2006-07 451,918 18,575,396 19,027,314 
			 2007-08 453,780 14,852,872 15,306,652 
		
	
	In addition, my Department has also supported a number of programmes that give young people access to a broad range of artforms. This includes the Creative Partnerships programme where over £166 million has been provided since 2002 and which has run over 7,500 projects.

Sports Events: Ministerial Visits

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many women's sporting events he has attended in an official capacity since appointment.

Andy Burnham: Since my appointment as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport at the end of January 2008 I have not attended any women's sporting events in an official capacity.

Sports Events: Ministerial Visits

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many school sporting events he has attended in an official capacity since appointment.

Andy Burnham: Since my appointment as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on 25 January 2008 I have not yet attended any specific school sports events. However I attended the annual Sports Colleges Conference in Telford on 1 February.

Playing Fields: Capital Investment

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much capital has been allocated to new school playing fields in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  ( c ) the North East and  (d) England in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department allocates capital to local authorities and schools, and then relies on the local community to prioritise how it is spent between school buildings, sports facilities, playing fields and other capital assets. Accordingly, it does not maintain central records on how much capital has been allocated to sports facilities or playing fields.
	Since 1997, total capital allocations have increased from under £0.7 billion per annum to a planned £21.9 billion over the next three year period.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Council Tax

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average level of council tax for a dwelling in each constituency was in each year since 1997.

John Healey: Council tax data are not collected at constituency level but details of the average council tax per dwelling for each local authority in England are available on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/ctax/data/ctaxtimes.xls

Departmental Advertising

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which of her Department's initiatives and those of its predecessors were advertised to the public in each of the last 10 years; and what the cost of each such campaign was in each year.

Parmjit Dhanda: For figures relating to 2002-03 to 2005-06, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs. May) on 28 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 806-7W.
	Figures for advertising and marketing campaigns in the financial year 2006-07 were published in the Department's annual report on 17 May 2007, which is available in the Libraries of the House.
	We do not hold the information for previous years centrally and it could be collated only at disproportionate cost.
	Government policies and programmes affect the lives of millions of people and may save lives, as with fire safety. They must be communicated effectively to meet our duty to inform and in order for policies to be successful. There are strict rules to ensure value for money on Government advertising.

Departmental Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when her Department  (a) paid the pay increases for the 2007 pay round,  (b) completed the race impact assessments of the 2007 pay deal and  (c) made the race impact assessments available to the recognised trades unions for each of her Department's bargaining units and Government offices.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 13 March 2008
	The information requested is as follows:
	 DCLG (HQ)
	Department for Communities and Local Government (HQ) 2007 pay round increases were paid in February 2008 and March 2008. The equality impact assessments will be made by June 2008 as agreed with the recognised trade unions.
	 Government Offices
	The Government Offices were paid the 2007 pay round increases at the end of October 2007. The 2007 pay offer was equality proofed in august and the results were given to Trade Unions in September.
	 The Planning Inspectorate
	The 2007 PINS pay award and arrears were paid with staff salaries in February 2008. A race impact assessment has not been completed.
	 Fire Service College
	The 2007 pay award increases in salary were processed in February 2008. A full impact assessment of the 2007 pay deal is being completed and will be shared with the recognised trades unions at the next Whitley council meeting in May.
	 The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre
	The Centre's base pay increases for the 2007 pay round were paid in November 2007 salaries. A race impact assessment has not been completed.

Departmental Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average basic pay for full-time equivalent  (a) men and  (b) women in (i) AA, (ii) AO and (iii) EO or equivalent grades is in each of her Department's bargaining units.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 13 March 2008
	The information requested is as follows:
	 DCLG (HQ)
	The following table shows the current average salaries for men and women in AA, AO and EO grades in DCLG (HQ).
	
		
			  Grade  Female  Male 
			 AA London 20,114 20,114 
			 AA National 17,605 18,232 
			 AO London 24,119 24,084 
			 AO National 20,564 20,998 
			 EO London 27,363 27,567 
			 EO National 24,405 23,856 
		
	
	 Government Offices
	There are no AAs of either gender employed in GO London or GOSE. The current (January 2008) average full-time annual salaries for the other grades in London, South East (Outer London) and elsewhere (National) are:
	
		
			  Grade  Female  Male 
			 AA National 14,271 14,574 
			 AO London 22,554 21,983 
			 AO Outer London 20,105 19,155 
			 AO National 16,815 16,592 
			 EO London 25,212 25,906 
			 EO Outer London 22,807 22,638 
			 EO National 20,518 20,589 
		
	
	 The Planning Inspectorate
	These are the current average salaries of male and female staff in PINS at AA, AO and EO. These are calculated as the total full-time equivalent salaries by grade and gender, divided by the number of staff.
	
		
			  Grade  Female  Male 
			 AA 15,349 15,452 
			 AO 18,093 17,879 
			 EO 22,972 22,830 
		
	
	 Fire Service College
	The average basic pay for full-time equivalent male and females in the Fire Service College are as follows:
	
		
			  Grade  Female  Male 
			 AA 12,620 (1)— 
			 AO 16,007 17,555 
			 EO 20,088 19,979 
			 (1) No male AAs 
		
	
	 The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre
	
		
			  Grade  Female  Male 
			 AA (1)— (1)— 
			 AO (2)26,453 21,231 
			 EO 25,677 24,482 
			 (1 )Only one person (2) No AA employees

Departmental Pensions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what percentage of staff in her Department were making additional voluntary contributions to their pensions in each of the last two years.

Parmjit Dhanda: 66 members of staff in Communities and Local Government (3 per cent. of the total number of staff employed by the Department) were making additional voluntary pension contributions through deductions from their pay in February 2007. This has decreased to 53 members of staff (2 per cent. of the total number of staff employed by the Department) who were making additional voluntary pension contributions through deductions from their pay in February 2008.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 18 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1324W, on domestic waste: waste disposal, what the notional monetary value was of the efficiency gain recorded by moving to a fortnightly collection of household rubbish for each of the local authorities listed in the forward and backward look statements.

Parmjit Dhanda: Local authorities report their efficiency gains to the Department for Communities and Local Government through annual efficiency statements, which are published on the Department's website at:
	www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/efficiencybetter/deliveringefficiency
	The statements are not submitted in a format that would allow information on fortnightly collection to be identified on a robust basis.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 18 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1324W, on Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal, how moving to a fortnightly collection of household rubbish from weekly collection generates a  (a) cashable and  (b) non-cashable efficiency gains for the purposes of inclusion in her Department's annual efficiency statements.

Parmjit Dhanda: A legitimate efficiency gain is generated when a council restructures service provision to provide a more efficient service to the same client group in a way that maintains overall output and service quality.
	Councils are required to note the definition of efficiency set out in 'Measuring and Reporting Efficiency Gains':
	www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/measuringreporting
	If the net costs of waste collection fall, while service quality is maintained, this leads to a cashable gain. When outputs or service quality associated with waste collection improves for the same net cost, this leads to a non-cashable gain.

Fire Services: Finance

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what allocation was made to each fire authority for  (a) fire control,  (b) fire link and  (c) new dimensions programmes in each year since 2002, broken down by region.

Parmjit Dhanda: The information requested is listed in the following tables.
	
		
			  Fire control—Grants to fire and rescue authorities 
			  £ 
			  Fire and rescue authority  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Bedfordshire and Luton Combined Fire Authority 11,616 76,984 111,904 
			 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority 11,170 80,366 118,157 
			 Essex Fire Authority 15,411 92,742 132,170 
			 Hertfordshire County Council 11,839 82,412 117,039 
			 Norfolk County Council 193,796 216,233 331,130 
			 Suffolk County Council 11,616 79,425 115,043 
			 East of England Total 255,448 628,162 925,443 
			 
			 Derbyshire Fire Authority 28,179 158,096 613,165 
			 Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Combined Fire Authority 222,125 335,943 2,157,403 
			 Lincolnshire County Council 28,416 148,068 525,606 
			 Northamptonshire County Council 26,589 144,838 269,849 
			 Nottinghamshire and City of Nottingham Fire and Rescue Authority 29,006 159,421 525,225 
			 East Midlands Total 334,315 946,366 4,091,248 
			 
			 Greater London Authority 87,571 234,150 659,062 
			 London Total 87,571 234,150 659,062 
			 Cleveland Fire Authority 219,699 325,541 1,193,418 
			 County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Authority 31,227 142,711 293,546 
			 Northumberland Fire Authority 28,814 131,633 248,152 
			 Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Authority 33,948 160,944 388,365 
			 North East Total 313,688 760,829 2,123,481 
			 
			 Cheshire Fire Authority 15,230 93,692 177,393 
			 Cumbria County Council 12,998 85,963 128,299 
			 Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority 243,923 118,093 283,347 
			 Lancashire Combined Fire Authority 19,025 99,611 224,957 
			 Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority 21,257 239,612 465,158 
			 North West Total 312,433 636,971 1,279,154 
			 
			 Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire Authority 11,231 95,538 135,765 
			 East Sussex Fire Authority 11,555 99,159 143,632 
			 Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority 14,705 112,472 320,891 
			 Isle of Wight Council 10,779 87,619 123,409 
			 Kent and Medway Towns Fire Authority 15,573 115,410 296,981 
			 Oxfordshire County Council 11,141 94,284 143,810 
			 Royal Berkshire Fire Authority 13,671 97,139 157,406 
			 Surrey County Council 11,555 104,084 143,551 
			 West Sussex County Council 218,713 234,415 382,295 
			 South East Total 318,923 1,040,120 1,847,740 
			 
			 Avon Fire Authority 33,082 52,986 462,041 
			 Cornwall Fire and Rescue Authority 28,588 52,986 56,041 
			 Devon Fire and Rescue Authority 33,732 188,818 — 
			 Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority — — 2,899,563 
			 Dorset Fire Authority 46,559 52,986 56,041 
			 Gloucestershire County Council 29,834 52,986 1,114,041 
			 Somerset Fire Authority 29,794 724,619 — 
			 Wiltshire and Swindon Fire Authority 195,455 52,986 56,041 
			 South West Total 397,044 1,178,367 4,643,768 
			 
			 Hereford and Worcester Fire Authority 71,277 148,228 319,276 
			 Shropshire and Wrekin Fire and Rescue Authority 11,375 137,554 269,128 
			 Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Authority 15,626 161,277 331,032 
			 Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Authority 10,803 138,902 256,054 
			 West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority 166,056 357,304 785,796 
			 West Midland Total 275,137 943,265 1,961,286 
			 
			 Humberside Fire Authority 14,799 83,956 123,024 
			 North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority 12,541 84,736 124,080 
			 South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority 16,828 88,617 170,161 
			 West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority 201,302 239,954 531,957 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside Total 245,470 497,263 949,222 
			 
			 FireControl Total 2,540,029 6,865,493 18,480,404 
		
	
	
		
			  New dimension—Grants to fire and rescue authoritie s 
			  £ 
			  Fire and rescue authority  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Bedfordshire and Luton Combined Fire Authority 92,758 147,749 43,071 35,000 
			 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority 76,000 94,400 43,071 35,000 
			 Essex Fire Authority 189,700 537,019 1,325,981 868,724 
			 Hertfordshire County Council 55,200 69,100 35,000 35,000 
			 Norfolk County Council 107,601 396,262 925,431 868,724 
			 Suffolk County Council — 245,191 43,071 88,510 
			 East of England Total 521,259 1,489,721 2,415,625 1,930,958 
			 Derbyshire Fire Authority 72,000 49,300 35,000 70,000 
			 Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Combined Fire Authority 146,900 742,046 1,008,295 892,724 
			 Lincolnshire County Council 288,500 649,528 938,777 868,724 
			 Northamptonshire County Council 47,000 35,550 43,071 35,000 
			 Nottinghamshire and City of Nottingham Fire and Rescue Authority 50,400 270,462 43,071 88,510 
			 East Midland Total 604,800 1,746,886 2,068,214 1,954,958 
			  
			 Greater London Authority 1,695,800 2,618,243 6,943,907 3,774,896 
			 London Total 1,695,800 2,618,243 6,943,907 3,774,896 
			 Cleveland Fire Authority 14,400 54,518 35,000 35,000 
			 County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Authority 33,600 41,556 38,459 35,000 
			 Northumberland Fire Authority 31,000 48,938 39,612 35,000 
			 Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Authority 399,616 556,419 887,635 868,724 
			 North East Total 478,616 701,431 1,000,706 973,724 
			  
			 Cheshire Fire Authority 150,10 236,822 147,883 70,000 
			 Cumbria County Council 219,954 182,942 43,071 88,510 
			 Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority 178,992.70 262,350 145,000 70,000 
			 Lancashire Combined Fire Authority 68,000 427,051 1,206,400 903,724 
			 Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority 146,400 689,469 998,945 868,724 
			 North West Total 763,447 1,798,634 2,541,299 2,000,958 
			  
			 Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire Authority 45,200 383,469 791,766 1,058,224 
			 East Sussex Fire Authority 93,302 67,550 35,961 35,000 
			 Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority 252,900 711,909 1,271,641 922,234 
			 Isle of Wight Council 33,600 51,222 43,071 35,000 
			 Kent and Medway Towns Fire Authority 228,200 717,710 1,237,557 957,234 
			 Oxfordshire County Council 67,200 35,440 177,524 35,000 
			 Royal Berkshire Fire Authority 50,072 311,931 43,071 35,000 
			 Surrey County Council 28,800 115,543 35,000 35,000 
			 West Sussex County Council — 578,939 408,042 505,024 
			 South East Total 799,274 2,973,713 4,043,633 3,617,716 
			  
			 Avon Fire Authority 42,400 384,019 1,454,684 868,724 
			 Cornwall Fire and Rescue Authority 85,000 136,000 258,812 70,000 
			 Council of the Isles of Scilly 7,400 — 20,000 10,000 
			 Devon Fire and Rescue Authority 305,295 747,489 951,759 — 
			 Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority — — — 992,234 
			 Dorset Fire Authority 71,200 109,800 265,752 35,000 
			 Gloucestershire County Council 60,800 89,822 245,391 88,510 
			 Somerset Fire Authority 78,000 62,500 410,264 0 
			 Wiltshire and Swindon Fire Authority 63,200 56,637 113,751 35,000 
			 South West Total 713,295 1,586,267 3,720,413 2,099,468 
			  
			 Hereford and Worcester Fire Authority 73,800 627,608 1,100,325 957,234 
			 Shropshire and Wrekin Fire and Rescue Authority 176,540 152,573 35,000 35,000 
			 Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Authority 75,600 98,270 195,530 70,000 
			 Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Authority — 83,066 35,000 35,000 
			 West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority 111,800 631,494 1,283,022 938,724 
			 West Midland Total 437,740 1,593,011 2,648,877 2,035,958 
			  
			 Humberside Fire Authority 78,100 75,230 36,180 35,000 
			 North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority 73,600 107,920 43,071 88,510 
			 South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority 16,000 60,850 35,000 35,000 
			 West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority 151,000 1,733,746 1,076,379 1,428,532 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside Total 318,700 1,977,746 1,190,630 1,587,042 
			 New Dimension Total 6,332,933 16,485,652 26,573,304 19,975,678 
		
	
	Please note that no grants have yet been paid to fire and rescue authorities in respect of the FireLink programme.
	The figures for Fire Control and New Dimension include forecasts for certain resilience grants which have yet to be paid.

Fires Services: Floods

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many incidents involving flooding the Fire and Rescue Service attended in each year since 2000; and how many people the Fire and Rescue Service rescued from flooding in each such year.

Parmjit Dhanda: The information requested is not held centrally.

Floods: Housing

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will provide resources to local authorities to assess the flood risk for those properties built in high flood risk areas; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	The Environment Agency undertakes risk assessments of river and coastal flooding at a variety of scales, and routinely shares these with local authorities. Under Planning Policy Statement 25 (PPS25), local planning authorities should prepare Strategic Flood Risk Assessments, primarily to inform land use planning and the location of new developments. In many cases, these assessments will provide information on the risk of flooding for areas in which there are existing properties.

Floods: Housing

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans to review existing flood defences in respect of  (a) homes in high flood risk areas and  (b) homes planned for construction in high flood risk areas; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	The Environment Agency is responsible for the maintenance of the majority of flood defences in England. The Agency plans and carries out an annual programme of maintenance which is geared to allowing assets to perform as designed and is focused on those assets that contribute most to reduction in flood risk.
	The Environment Agency has classified which assets and activities contribute most to flood risk reduction, particularly around the number of properties protected, and use this to target investment. It takes into account the current actual condition of assets through a programme of visual inspection and channel condition and also known seasonal changes such as reed and other vegetation growth. The Agency uses this information to establish the required work and its relative priority. Funding is allocated on this basis, thereby ensuring the best possible condition of assets is provided with the funding available.
	Where planning applications are submitted for new homes in areas of flood risk these must be considered in line with policy set out in Planning Policy Statement 25 (PPS35) on development and flood risk, published in December 2006. PPS25 seeks to direct development away from areas of highest risk and ensure that all developments are safe and do not increased flood risk elsewhere.

Housing Associations: Standards

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what powers will be available to her under the provisions of the Housing and Regeneration Bill  (a) to compel housing associations to carry out Government policy mandated to housing via a new regulator and  (b) to impose regulations on community services provided by housing associations; and whether she plans under any circumstances to reclassify housing associations as public bodies.

Iain Wright: The Housing and Regeneration Bill sets out the powers of the new social housing regulator—Oftenant—in relation to registered providers of social housing.
	Under the Bill the Secretary of State's powers to direct the regulator will be limited to the regulator's role in setting standards in relation to social housing. (At present the Secretary of State can direct the Housing Corporation in relation to any of its functions including, for example, enforcement action.) It is our intention that Ministers should only use these powers to give strategic direction on key issues of direct interest to government—including levels of rent, the physical quality of accommodation, and landlords' engagement with tenants. I am planning to table amendments to the Bill which make these intentions clearer. The Bill as amended will not, therefore, allow the Secretary of State to impose standards in other areas.
	In addition, the regulator's powers to set standards, and to take enforcement action against providers who fail to meet standards, are bound by the regulator's fundamental objectives. In particular Objective 10 requires the regulator to
	"regulate in a manner which minimises interference, and is proportionate, consistent, transparent and accountable."
	The classification of bodies as public or private sector is a matter for the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The ONS have previously judged registered social landlords to be private non-financial corporations, taking into account the existing regulatory framework. HM Treasury advise that the additional regulatory measures being introduced though the Housing and Regeneration Bill are not relevant to the sector classification of registered social landlords. They will therefore have no effect on the status of housing associations.

Lighting

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities reported efficiency savings from street light management in  (a) backward-look and  (b) forward-look efficiency statements made to her Department in each year since the statements' inception.

Parmjit Dhanda: Local authorities report their efficiency gains to the Department for Communities and Local Government through annual efficiency statements, which are published on the Department's website at:
	www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/efficiencybetter/deliveringefficiency
	Councils that referenced "street lighting" in their efficiency statements may have made these gains from improvements to any aspect of their street lighting service, and not simply through more efficient management of street lighting.

Lighting

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance she has issued to local authorities on efficiency savings to be achieved from the management of street lighting.

Parmjit Dhanda: We have issued no specific guidance on measuring efficiency from management of street lighting. General guidance to councils on the completion of annual efficiency statements is available at:
	www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/measuringreporting
	This makes clear that efficiency is about raising productivity and enhancing value for money, and that service cuts are not eligible to be counted as an efficiency.

Local Area Agreements: Standards

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her timetable is for the production of guidance on the scrutiny of local area agreements; and what the reasons are for the time taken.

John Healey: Building on earlier discussions with stakeholders, our priority is to establish the new local area agreements and our current timetable for guidance on overview and scrutiny, including guidance on the scrutiny of local area agreements, is to consult on draft guidance before the summer.

Members: Correspondence

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Wycombe of 6 February 2008 about the Medical Middle Way roadshow and Kemal Helbawy.

Parmjit Dhanda: I have now replied to the hon. Member's letter.

Regional Planning and Development: Fines

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government from what budget the fine levied on the UK by the European Commission for irregularities in the auditing of European Regional Development Fund Objective 2 and 3 monies in the north-west of England will be paid; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: holding answer 17 March 2008
	The financial correction levied by the European Commission in respect of the Objective 2 and Urban II programmes in the north-west of England will be deducted from the amounts claimed from the EC. Appreciation of the value of the Euro during the period of suspended payments means that the original value of the claim will be more than covered by the ERDF payments made by the Commission. The Objective 3 programme in the north-west was not included in any audit inquiries.
	I have written to the chair of the CLG Select Committee with details, and have deposited a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

Standards Board for England: Information Officers

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many press, marketing, media and communications staff are employed by the  (a) Standards Board for England and  (b) the Adjudication Panel for England.

John Healey: The Standards Board's communications unit comprises nine staff employed for all or part of their time on such activities. The Adjudication Panel does not employ dedicated staff on these matters.

TRANSPORT

London Midland: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will assess  (a) the procedures adopted by London Midland to acknowledge and respond to correspondence from (i) hon. Members and (ii) members of the public and  (b) the steps being taken by the company to make it easier for telephone calls to be made to its offices.

Tom Harris: The chapter entitled "Answering your enquiries" on page 25 of London Midland's Passenger's Charter, outlines how the company can be contacted by post, telephone, fax and e-mail. London Midland report their performance against these criteria every four weeks to both the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) and the Department for Transport.
	Copies of the Passenger's Charter can be obtained from the ticket offices at London Midland's staffed stations or at other selected stations served by their trains. The document can also be downloaded from London Midland's website at:
	www.londonmidland.com

Aviation: Scotland

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the percentage of passengers departing from airports in Scotland flying to the United States who flew  (a) directly,  (b) via another UK airport and  (c) via another airport in Europe in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table shows percentage of passengers departing from airports in Scotland flying to the United States.
	
		
			  Passengers from airports in Scotland (Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Prestwick), 2005 
			   Percentage/number 
			 Flying directly to the United States (Percentage) 37 
			 Flying to the United States transiting through another UK airport (Percentage) 45 
			 Flying to the United States transiting through another airport based in Europe (Percentage) 17 
			 Flying to the United States transiting through another airport based in other countries (Percentage) 1 
			 Total passengers between airports in Scotland and USA (Million) 1.2 
			  Source: Civil Aviation Authority.

Bus Services: Concessions

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance her Department has issued to local authorities on morning start times for free off-peak bus travel for pensioners.

Rosie Winterton: The Department's published guidance sets out the available times for statutory concessionary bus travel which are defined in the Transport Act 2000. The statutory minimum concession is available from 9.30 am to 11 pm Monday to Friday and at all times at weekends and on bank holidays. Local authorities retain the flexibility to offer concessionary travel beyond the statutory times, taking account of local circumstances, at their own expense.

Bus Services: Disabled

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 6 March 2008,  Official Report, column 2753W, on concessions: mentally ill, what the evidential basis is for determining which groups of disabled people should be entitled to concessionary bus fares.

Rosie Winterton: The Transport Act 2000 (or for those resident in London, the Greater London Authority Act 1999) set out the eligibility criteria for statutory concessionary bus travel, covering any person who is blind or partially sighted; is profoundly or severely deaf; is without speech; has a disability, or has suffered an injury, which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to walk; does not have arms or has long-term loss of the use of both arms; has a learning disability that is a state of arrested or incomplete development of mind which includes significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning; or would, if he or she applied for a grant of a licence to drive a motor vehicle under Part III of the Road Traffic Act 1988, have his or her application refused pursuant to section 92 of the Act (physical fitness) otherwise than on the ground of persistent misuse of drugs or alcohol.
	The Secretary of State issued guidance to local authorities which sets out the statutory minimum requirement which they must observe to satisfy the law, and to which they must have regard in reaching a decision on eligibility.

Bus Services: Kent

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what public funding has been allocated to the Fastrack bus transport system operating in Dartford and Gravesham to date.

Rosie Winterton: So far a total of £40.6 million has been allocated from public funds to stage 1 of the Fastrack project, covering the period from its commencement in 2003-04 to the scheduled completion date in 2010-11. This includes £28.4 million from the Department for Transport.

Bus Services: Speed Limits

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many drivers of public buses were fined for breaking the speed limit when driving a bus in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: There are no statistics of the types of vehicle driven in speeding offences.

Dartford Tunnel: Queen Elizabeth II Bridge

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how much pre-payment income was received from  (a) light or medium goods vehicle category and  (b) heavy goods vehicle or special type vehicle DART tag holders at the Dartford River Crossing in each of the last 12 months; and how many crossings were made by such customers in the last 12 months;
	(2)  how much pre-payment income was received from motor car category DART tag holders at the Dartford River Crossing in each of the last 12 months; and how many crossings were made by such customers in the last 12 months.

Rosie Winterton: The following figures are estimates for annual figures for the last 12 months. It has not been possible to produce monthly figures broken down by vehicle class.
	
		
			  Vehicle class  Number of crossings in last 12 months  Revenue in last 12 months (£) 
			 Cars 4,931,151 4,573,977 
			 Light Goods 3,040,672 5,049,734 
			 Heavy Goods 4,264,283 10,117,235 
			 Total 12,236,106 19,740,946

Departmental Empty Property

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the sums to be paid by her Department in unoccupied property rates in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport estimate of sums to be paid in unoccupied property rates are as follows:
	
		
			  (a) 2007-08 
			   £ 
			 DfT (Central) 3,829 
			 Driving Standards Agency 117,842 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency 9,000 
			 Highways Agency (office property) 25,500 
			 Highways Agency (commercial property) 3,500 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) 2008-09 
			   £ 
			 DfT (Central) 7,969.50 
			 Driving Standards Agency 446,033 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency 0 
			 Highways Agency (office property) 51,000 
			 Highways Agency (commercial property) 8,000 
		
	
	Vacant property is kept under active review and sale or letting arranged wherever possible.
	The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency does not record the information requested separately as it forms part of the Private Finance Initiative contract with Land Services Trillium. Aforementioned figures are estimated and no empty property rates payments are forecast for 2008-09.
	The Government Car and Despatch Agency, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Vehicle Certification Agency, Vehicle and Operator Services Agency do not have any empty properties.

Departmental Official Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost was of overnight accommodation for  (a) civil servants,  (b) special advisers and  (c) Ministers in her Department staying overnight in (i) mainland Great Britain, (ii) Northern Ireland, (iii) the Republic of Ireland and (iv) other countries in the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport (central) does not record overnight accommodation expenditure for Northern Ireland separately from the rest of the UK. Between 1 March 2007 and 29 February 2008 £479,929 was spent on overnight accommodation in the UK, £1,003 in the Republic of Ireland, and £135,088 overseas. The Department does not record Ministers' expenditure separately from civil servants'. There has been no expenditure on overnight accommodation for special advisors within the 12 month period.
	None of the Department's agencies record Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland separately. The Vehicle Certification Agency spent £68,400 in UK, and £19,714 overseas. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency cannot separate overnight accommodation from other associated travel and subsistence payments. Their total travel and subsistence expenditure was £2,108,100 in the UK, and £834,462 overseas. The Highways Agency spent £803,337 in the UK and £7,943 overseas. These figures represent the hotels booked through their central contract which forms the majority of their expenditure. A small amount of accommodation expenditure may have been claimed as travel and subsistence, but cannot be separated except at disproportionate cost.
	The remaining agencies (Driving Standards Agency, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Government Car and Despatch Agency and Vehicle and Operator Services Agency) cannot provide the information except at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of her Department's expenditure was allocated to Government growth areas in the last year for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not available across the Department's programmes.

Freight: Scrap Metals

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles carrying scrap metal were involved in fatal accidents in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is not available.

Hearing Impaired

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what provision is made for deaf people to access services provided by her Department through call centres.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport and its agencies are very conscious of the need to provide a high level of service to all customers, including those with hearing disabilities. As a result, all call centres are able to communicate by phone with hearing impaired customers using text-based systems.

Heathrow Airport

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the validity of the  (a) assumptions and  (b) evidential basis of the information supplied by BAA for the Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport consultation document;
	(2)  whether she commissioned an independent assessment of the information supplied by BAA for the Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport consultation document.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Data and assumptions used in the Heathrow work have been subject to scrutiny by Department for Transport (DfT) officials and relevant experts throughout the project management process. In particular, DfT's own air traffic and fleet forecasts have been used as benchmarks to quality assure BAA's forecasts at the most detailed level possible. Road traffic data draws on a variety of established sources including the Highways Agency and Transport for London, and modelling has been validated as described in the supporting technical report on surface access.

Heathrow Airport

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will list the documents her Department has given BAA access to in relation to the development of proposals for Heathrow expansion and preparation of the Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport consultation document.

Jim Fitzpatrick: As we clearly envisaged in the Air Transport White Paper, BAA have participated, along with other key stakeholders, in a wide range of technical work since 2003 to assess the scope for developing Heathrow within the strict local environmental limits set by the Government.

Heathrow Airport

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of the increased passenger numbers envisaged in the Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport document are forecast to be transit passengers travelling between non-UK destinations.

Jim Fitzpatrick: International-to-international transfer passengers are forecast by DfT to comprise 32 per cent. of the extra demand at Heathrow airport in 2030 which would result from the additional capacity proposed under option one in the 'Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport' consultation document.
	A detailed explanation of the DfT air passenger demand and CO2 forecasting methods and results is given in 'UK Air Passenger Demand and CO2 Forecasts' (November 2007), available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/environmentalissues/ukairdemandandco2forecasts/

Heathrow Airport

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings  (a) she,  (b) her Ministers and  (c) officials in her Department have held with representatives of (i) Sipson, (ii) Harmondsworth and (iii) Cranford in relation to Heathrow Airport expansion.

Jim Fitzpatrick: To better understand expectations for the 'Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport' consultation, prior to its launch on 22 November 2007, officials from the Department held meetings with a number of local residents' associations from communities around Heathrow airport. This included meetings with the Harmondsworth and Sipson residents' association and the Cranford Cross residents' association. In addition, representatives from the Harmondsworth and Sipson residents' association also attended a meeting I held on 21 November with a range of stakeholders with interests in Heathrow airport. There have been no other meetings with these representative groups.

Heathrow Airport

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has to monetise changes to air quality likely to arise out of Heathrow expansion.

Jim Fitzpatrick: As stated in our recent Heathrow consultation document (Annex B, paragraph 2.30 and elsewhere) we plan to monetise air quality effects in the post-consultation impact assessment, in line with standard DEFRA methodology.

Heathrow Airport

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what response she has made to the Atkins Report entitled Demonstrating Confidence in the Project for Sustainable Development of Heathrow Air Quality Work.

Jim Fitzpatrick: This report was commissioned by the Department for Transport and forms part of the supporting evidence for the Government's recent Heathrow consultation. It does not require a response from the Department.

Heathrow Airport

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many short-haul flights landed at Heathrow Airport in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2007.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 14 March 2008
	The number of short-haul international flights that landed at Heathrow in 1997 and 2007 were 127,000 and 125,000 respectively.
	Short-haul international origin/destinations include flights to Europe (including EU-27, Norway, Switzerland, Gibraltar, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Turkey and former Yugoslavia).

Heathrow Airport

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will commission an independent scientific report on the likely effects of the third runway at Heathrow.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 19 March 2008
	 The recent consultation 'Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport' follows an extensive programme of assessment and analysis, involving a wide range of experts in the field, and sets out our findings. We have no plans to commission a fresh study.

Heathrow Airport

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the accuracy of the data on which the consultation on a third runway at Heathrow Airport was based.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 19 March 2008
	 The data and assumptions underlying the Heathrow consultation have been subject to careful scrutiny throughout the project management process, including by experts in the field. We are satisfied that the material presented in the consultation documents is robust.

Heathrow Airport: Accidents

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the impact on accident risk of her proposals for airport expansion set out in Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport.

Jim Fitzpatrick: While the issue of safety is not the subject of the consultation, safety is of course paramount. The Department is confident that a third runway and the other proposed operational changes could function while meeting safety requirements. This issue was considered in the consultations in the run-up to the 2003 Future of Air Transport White Paper. Any proposal taken forward by the airport operator would have to meet Civil Aviation Authority and international safety requirements and it would be for the airport operator to demonstrate this during the planning process.

Heathrow Airport: Exhaust Emissions

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the level of carbon dioxide emitted annually by incoming international flights arriving at Heathrow.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory reports annual CO2 emissions for domestic and international aviation for the UK, but not at individual airports.
	The report 'UK Air Passenger Demand and CO2 Forecasts' (November 2007) shows DfT forecasts of aviation emissions by airport, including an estimate for the base year (2005). This is available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/environmentalissues/ukairdemandandco2forecasts/
	While there is no international agreement on the allocation of international aviation emissions between nations, these forecasts are on a departures-only basis, to avoid double-counting emissions, and for consistency with DEFRA outturn data. No assessment of CO2 emissions from arriving international flights at Heathrow is available.

Heathrow Airport: Exhaust Emissions

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assumptions about  (a) nitrogen oxides and  (b) carbon dioxide emissions from improved aircraft efficiency she has made in forecasting the environmental impact of the operation of a third runway at Heathrow.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Projections of future reductions in aircraft emissions are informed by a number of factors including trends in fleet replacement, the certificated emissions performance of aircraft coming into service, aviation industry goals for future emissions reductions, and assumptions about future generations of aircraft. The Heathrow work on NOx has been informed in this area by expert advice from Qinetiq and AEA plc. The broad approach is described in the AEA report 'Emissions Methodology for Future LHR Scenarios', published alongside the recent Heathrow consultation document. This also sets out the aircraft types expected to be operating at Heathrow in future years including, for example, replacements for the Boeing 767 and Airbus A300/310 and A340.
	For CO2 emissions the methodology and assumptions are set out in the UK Air Passenger and CO2 Report. This can be found on the Department's website at:
	www.dft.gov.uk

Heathrow Airport: Exhaust Emissions

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the likely impact on greenhouse gas emissions of each option for Heathrow expansion set out in the Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport consultation document.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The 'Adding Capacity at Heathrow' consultation document published in November 2007 by the Department for Transport reported information on the climate change impacts of the three options considered in the consultation.
	Table 17 on page 178 of that document (as follows) sets out the carbon dioxide emission impacts of each option and the total climate change cost, for both the full appraisal period and the average year. The impact of extra in-flight non-carbon emissions is accounted for by uprating the extra in-flight CO2 emissions by a 'radiative forcing factor' of 1.9 in estimating the total climate change costs of each option.
	A detailed explanation of the DfT air passenger demand and CO2 forecasting methods and results is given in 'UK Air Passenger Demand and CO2 Forecasts' (November 2007), available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/environmentalissues/ukairdemandandco2forecasts/
	
		
			   Total CO 2  (million tonnes)  Average CO 2  per year  (million tonnes)  Total climate change costs (£ billion) 
			 Option 1—Heathrow third runway around 2020 180.8 2.6* 4.8 
			 Option 2—Mixed mode at 480,000 ATMs around 2010, Heathrow third runway 2020 179.1 2.6 4.8 
			 Option 3—MM at 480,000 ATMs around 2010, MM at 540,000 ATMs around 2015, Heathrow third runway around 2020 181.1 2.6 5.0 
			 (1) For appraisal consistency this is expressed over 70 years, although the additional total emissions occur over 60 years. The equivalent figure over 60 years is 3.01 million

Heathrow Airport: Exhaust Emissions

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings she has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to discuss the likely impact of Heathrow expansion on greenhouse gas emissions.

Jim Fitzpatrick: My right hon. Friend has regular meetings and correspondence with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs across a range of matters and these have in the past included issues relating to Heathrow development, including climate change impacts.

Heathrow Airport: Exhaust Emissions

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the  (a) assumptions,  (b) methodology and  (c) evidential basis was of the information given in the consultation document Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport relating to the projected reduction in average road vehicle emissions by 2030.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The methodology and assumptions underpinning the road traffic modelling are set out in the supporting technical report on surface access, which explains the basis of the travel and traffic forecasts. This can be found on the Department's website (www.dft.gov.uk). For future reductions in road vehicle emissions, we have used the lower end of DEFRA's forecasts, representing a conservative estimate of the expected emissions improvement in the vehicle fleet, with no allowance for incentives to accelerate the take-up of new standards.

Heathrow Airport: Housing

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the effect on house prices in south west London resulting from  (a) building a third runway and  (b) the end of runway alternation at Heathrow.

Jim Fitzpatrick: No assessment of the impact of additional capacity at Heathrow on house prices has been made. The Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport consultation document sets out an Impact Assessment (Annex B), of the options considered in the consultation.

Heathrow Airport: Noise

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what the evidential basis of her projection in Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport of a significant reduction in noise levels per plane was;
	(2)  what new aircraft models are assumed to be operating from Heathrow by 2020.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Projections of future reductions in aircraft noise are informed by a number of factors including trends in fleet replacement, the certificated noise performance of aircraft coming into service, aviation industry goals for future noise reductions and assumptions about future generations of aircraft. The Heathrow work has been informed in this area by expert advice from the Civil Aviation Authority and QinetiQ and the approach is described in the CAA Report 0705 "Revised Future Aircraft Noise Exposure Estimates for Heathrow Airport" published alongside the recent Heathrow consultation document. This also sets out the aircraft types expected to be operating at Heathrow in future years including, for example, replacements for the Boeing 767 and Airbus A300/310 andA340.

Heathrow Airport: Public Participation

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will launch a second consultation on a third runway at Heathrow Airport.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Air Transport White Paper stated the Government's support for the further development of Heathrow, including a third runway and additional terminal capacity, subject to stringent local environmental limits being met. It also said that scope for making greater use of the two existing runways should be explored, subject to the same environmental limits. The recent consultation presented the outcome of our assessment of these options and invited views. We are now reviewing all the consultation responses and will make our final policy decisions later this year based on the full range of evidence including from those most directly affected.

Heathrow Airport: Weather

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the potential impact of each option for the expansion of Heathrow set out in Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport on London's weather.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The effects of further development of Heathrow airport are assessed across a range of impacts including climate change, expressed in terms of additional CO2 emissions at the global level.

Ipsos MORI

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what payments her Department and its agencies have made to Ipsos MORI in the last 24 months; and for what purposes.

Jim Fitzpatrick: In the period between 1 March 2006 and 29 February 2008 the Department for Transport made payments of £1,604,252 to Ipsos MORI for the following activities:
	DVO Operator Survey 2005
	VOSA Customer Satisfaction Survey
	DVO Operator Survey 2006
	Customer Service Review
	Unlicensed Driving Survey
	Transport Office OCRS
	Premium Delivery Service Omnibus—Concept Testing
	Driving Tests Candidates Survey 2006
	Operators Survey 2006
	Online Test Booking Qual and Quant February 2007
	Operators Self Service Usability Testing
	Stakeholder Survey
	Final Report On Unlicensed Driving
	Presentation At VOSA Workshop
	Follow Up From 2005 Survey, DVLA Local Offices Service Standards
	DVLA Local Offices Service Standards—Respondent Travel Expenses.
	DVLA Local Office Survey 2006
	Stakeholder Perceptions Study and Transport Journalist Survey 2006
	Stakeholder Perceptions Study and Transport Journalist Survey 2007
	Operator Workshop
	Operators Segmentation
	Drivers Fitters And Presenters Survey
	Survey For Side Swipe Project
	Survey—Add Costs—Safety Equipment
	Mori Survey—Understanding Operators Research
	Research Training
	Left Hand Drive Survey Final Part Invoice
	MOT Garage Survey
	Roadside Check Survey 2007
	VOSA Test Station Survey 2007
	Key Drivers Analysis
	Roadside Check Survey
	Test Station Users Survey 2007
	Research Audit
	Questionnaire Development And Fieldwork Setup
	Data And Reporting
	Are You Ready? Discussion Groups
	Candidates Survey
	Potential Driving Instructors (PDI) Survey 2007
	Advanced Driving Instructors (ADI) and Trainer Survey
	Candidates Survey 2007
	Market Research CPC Postal
	CPC—Operators Survey
	The aforementioned data has been obtained from the Department's various accounting systems and includes a description of the activity undertaken where available from the payment record.

Lorries: Industrial Health and Safety

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the value of the Code of Practice on the safety of loads on vehicles as a source of advice for employers; and what plans she has to update the guidance.

Jim Fitzpatrick: No assessment of this sort has been made, and there are no plans to update the guidance.
	However, we are aware of work by the Transport Research Laboratory and the Freight Transport Association to develop industry guidance on the crash safety of loads in vans, which we will be considering, as findings become available.

Radioactive Wastes

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 41-2, on aviation: radioactive materials, to which country or countries the three consignments of radioactive waste which will not require repatriation of radioactive waste to the UK were shipped for treatment; how much radioactive waste was contained in each of these three shipments; what information was provided in each case to the government of the receiving country in respect of the long-term management of the unrepatriated radioactive waste arising; what the countries of origin were of each of the consignments imported into the UK in 2007; and what the countries of destination were of each of the consignments exported from the UK in 2007.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The three consignments were all sent to the USA.
	The consignments contained 0.156, 18.2 and 19.8 tonnes each of metallic waste contaminated with radioactive isotopes.
	In each case details of the quantities of radioactive waste were provided to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Formal approval to the first shipment in (b) was granted by the State of Tennessee and the NRC granted its formal approval to the second two shipments.
	I refer the hon. Member to my answers of 19 March 2008,  Official Report, columns 1115-6W, to the hon. Member for Chipping Barnet (Mrs. Villiers).

Railway Stations

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passengers used each mainline railway station in 2006-07, ranked in descending order.

Tom Harris: The Department for Transport does not hold this information. The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) does, however, publish data on station usage which are available from their website:
	www.rail-reg.gov.uk
	Data for 2006-07 have not yet been published.

Railways: Freight

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what reports she has received on whether the corner locks were engaged on the containers blown off the trains at Milton Keynes and Tebay on 8 March; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Harris: The five empty containers which were blown off a freight train near Tebay and the two empty containers blown off another freight train near Milton Keynes on 1 March 2008 were located on "UIC 517 type" spigots fitted to the freight wagons. Evidence indicates that each container was correctly located on four spigots. The spigots do not have any form of manually operated twist lock as fitted to some other types of rail wagons and road container carriers; instead they have a "mushroom" shaped head designed to provide vertical retention. However, in both incidents, preliminary findings indicate the spigots did not function as intended. The reasons for this and other factors which may have contributed to the incidents are currently under investigation by the RAIB.
	Regarding the history of similar incidents, it has been reported to the RAIB that there have not been any previous incidents in the UK since the introduction of the spigots to the UK in the early 1990s. Reports of similar incidents involving containers blowing off trains in continental Europe are emerging but the circumstances of these incidents are not yet clear.
	On completion of its investigation, the RAIB's report will be published on its website. During its investigation, urgent safety advice can be issued by the RAIB to the industry in the UK and other member states to bring any safety matter to their attention.

Roads: Accidents

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent steps the Department has taken to reduce the number of fatal road traffic accidents caused by unqualified and unaccompanied drivers.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government are concerned about vehicles being driven on our roads by drivers who do not have the correct driving entitlement.
	This is a matter which we take very seriously and we do all that we can to assist the police and the courts in detecting and prosecuting cases of unlicensed driving.
	A critical step has been the provision to the police of 24 hour access to accurate and up to date driver licensing information (including a photograph where appropriate) at the roadside to assist detection and enforcement. There are also good IT links between the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and the courts to assist in effective prosecution of offenders.
	The Department also takes action to reduced road accidents as a whole including through its road safety strategy which targets high risk behaviours, such as anti drink-drive and speeding.

Shipping: Safety

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many ships bringing goods into the UK have been impounded because of safety concerns arising from the ship's condition in the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency detained 86 foreign flagged ships for deficiencies related to safety, pollution prevention or crew living conditions, in the period between March 2007 and February 2008.

Shropshire

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 19 February 2008,  Official Report, column 554W, on Shropshire, if she will provide the equivalent figures for each local council in England.

Rosie Winterton: Much of this information has already been published on the Department for Transport's website. Tables providing the information requested have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Southern Railway: Rolling Stock

Malcolm Rifkind: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the effect of the decision by Southern Railway to introduce 44 new dual-voltage carriages to the Thameslink service on the future of the Watford to Brighton service.

Tom Harris: All newly procured dual-voltage trains will be deployed on the Thameslink route.
	From December 2008, journeys between Brighton and Watford, avoiding the London Underground, will still be possible, albeit with a change of trains at Clapham Junction, as happens in the morning peak today.

Tolls

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether her proposed new road tolls will be classed as a tax for the methodological purposes of the Office for National Statistics;
	(2)  whether her proposals for new road tolls will be revenue neutral.

Rosie Winterton: In her written statement to Parliament of 4 March 2008,  Official Report, columns 106-08WS, the Secretary of State said that Government would be exploring a range of options to manage traffic on motorways where extra capacity is being provided. One of these options is to charge a toll for using one of the lanes. The details of how this could work in practice are currently being developed. It will be for the independent Office for National Statistics to determine how any charges should be classified when the options for charging have been more clearly defined.

Transport: Policy

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will place in the Library the assessment made by her Department of the impact of transport policies on different groups in society for each year since 1998.

Rosie Winterton: The Department for Transport sponsors a wide range of research and consultation to help us to monitor the effectiveness of our policies. For example, we have recently completed research on the assessment of accessibility standards for disabled people in land based public transport vehicles. This research looks at the effectiveness of accessibility regulations made under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and a copy has been placed in the Library.

West Coast Main Line: Repairs and Maintenance

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent progress has been made on the refurbishment of the West Coast Main Line.

Tom Harris: The Government are providing £8.125 billion to renew and upgrade the west coast main line that runs between London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow. On completion, this investment will deliver a 30 per cent. increase in capacity, significantly faster journeys such as those from the north west to London falling by around 30 minutes, more frequent trains and a seven day railway.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Support

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 6 March 2008,  Official Report, column 2801W, to the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell, on child support, how much and what proportion of debt was classed as collectable in each year since the Child Support Agency was established.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 13 March 2008
	The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 20 March 2008:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much and what proportion of debt was classed as collectable in each year since the Child Support Agency was established.
	The latest estimate of the amount of debt which is collectable is routinely published in the Agency's Annual Report and Accounts. The attached table shows debt owed by non-resident parents which has been classified as collectable from 1994-95 to 2006-07. It should be noted that it is difficult to use this information to make meaningful comparisons over time as the estimate of the proportion of collectable debt is based on an annual debt analysis exercise that has been gradually refined year on year as the Agency improves its debt collection and enforcement activities.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Child maintenance outstanding as reported in the Child Support Agency annual report and accounts 
			  Period  Collectable (£ million)  Gross debt (£ million)  Percentage collectable (estimate) 
			 1994-95 525.20 525.20 — 
			 1995-96 565.78 1,066.87 53.0 
			 1996-97 391.43 1,145.47 34.2 
			 1997-98 585.42 1,426.35 41.0 
			 1998-99 671.91 1,759.91 38.2 
			 1999-2000 625.06 2,064.56 30.3 
			 2000-01 585.52 2,310.39 25.3 
			 2001-02 575.09 2,526.52 22.8 
			 2002-03 752.57 2,755.20 27.3 
			 2003-04 941.72 2,980.69 31.6 
			 2004-05 1,237.33 3,252.75 38.0 
			 2005-06 1,387.69 3,495.25 39.7 
			 2006-07 1,444.10 3,686.26 39.2 
			  Notes: 1. The annual report and accounts for previous years were republished in 1997-98, due to a change in accounting policy in reporting collectability of the debt. The republished figures are included in the table. 2. Figures for 1993-94 are not available, as the Agency did not publish audited accounts during that period. 3. The Agency's current assessment of collectable and uncollectable debt is based on an annual debt analysis exercise. This exercise examines a sample of cases to determine collectability based on the Agency's past experience. It is an estimate and therefore subject to change as the Agency improves its debt collection and enforcement activities. 4. Annual debt analysis exercise introduced from 1995-96.

Child Support Agency: Payments

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in what circumstances consolatory payments are made by  (a) his Department,  (b) the Child Support Agency,  (c) Jobcentre or Jobcentre Plus,  (d) the Disability and Carers Service,  (e) the Pension Service, (f) the Rent Service and  (g) the Debt Management Service; what guidance he issues on the award of consolatory payments in each case; and if he will place a copy of the guidance in the Library.

Anne McGuire: Details of the Department's scheme for financial redress can be found in its guide 'Financial Redress for Maladministration' (Revised April 2003). A copy of this guide is kept in the House of Commons Library. It is also available in every DWP office for the general public to read upon request and in the Publications section of the DWP Internet site at http://www.dwp.gov.uk. In addition it is available at main libraries and as a priced document from Corporate Document Services, Publications Orderline, 7 Eastgate, Leeds, LS2 7LY.
	A consolatory special payment may be made under the scheme by any of the Department's businesses where it is found that maladministration has had a direct adverse effect on the life of a customer. In line with the parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's 'Principles for Remedy', in deciding the level of compensation regard is had to:
	The impact on the individual, for example whether the events contributed to ill health, or led to prolonged or aggravated injustice or hardship;
	The length of time taken to resolve a dispute or complaint; and
	The trouble the individual was put to in pursuing the dispute or complaint.

Child Support: Administration

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost has been of developing the new child support system.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 20 March 2008:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the chief executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and pensions, what the cost has been of developing the new child support system.
	The Child Support Agency's new IT system (CS2) was provided by Electronic Data Systems (EDS) under the Child Support Reform (CSR) contract for IT services. The Department's administrative accounts confirm charging of £133 million for the delivery and operation of CS2 between January 2003 and August 2005 under the CSR contract. Approximately half of this amount is in recognition of development work.
	Since August 2005 EDS have received further payments for development work amounting to £62.01 million.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was outstanding in child maintenance arrears at the Child Support Agency in each of the last 10 years.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 20 March 2008:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was outstanding in child maintenance arrears at the Child Support Agency in each of the last 10 years.
	The annual gross debt figures for Child Maintenance Arrears are set out in the table below. This information has been published in the Child Support Agency Annual Report & Accounts.
	
		
			  Financial year  £ million 
			 2006-07 3,686.3 
			 2005-06 3,495.3 
			 2004-05 3,252.8 
			 2003-04 3,017.9 
			 2002-03 2,748.0 
			 2001-02 2,526.5 
			 2000-01 2,310.4 
			 1999-2000 2,064.6 
			 1998-99 1,759.9 
			 1997-98 1,426.4 
		
	
	This debt has accrued over the 14 years of the Agency's operation and represents money owed by non-resident parents who have failed to meet their financial responsibilities towards their children.
	The Agency's efforts are currently aimed at slowing the rate of growth. The Agency has significantly slowed the rate at which debt accrues from around £20 million a month in 2005/2006 to around £16 million a month in 2006/2007. In total the Agency has collected over £181m in maintenance arrears since April 2006 and continues to make good progress towards meeting the Operational Improvement Plan commitment of collecting an additional £200m in arrears by March 2009 in addition to the £80m it currently collects each year.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Poverty

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent progress has been made towards delivering the commitment to eradicate child poverty in the United Kingdom by 2020.

Stephen Timms: Poverty is a complex and multidimensional issue and, as such, there are many possible measures of poverty.
	While income alone does not provide a wide enough measure of poverty, it is generally accepted that low income is central to any poverty measurement. The Government have succeeded in arresting and reversing the rising trend of child poverty with 600,000 children lifted out of relative low income since 1998-99.
	A further 300,000 children will be lifted out of relative poverty as a result of last year's Budget and comprehensive spending review. And measures announced in Budget 2008 will lift up to 250,000 additional children out of relative poverty from 2010-11.
	The Government believe that work is the most sustainable route out of poverty. The Government are supporting families to escape poverty by increasing employment and raising incomes for those who can work.
	In the second Quarter of 2007, there were more than 1 million lone parents in work—335,000 more than in 1997. The lone parent employment rate was 57.2 per cent. up 12.5 percentage points since 1997.
	Since 1997, the Government have radically reformed the system of financial support for families. As a result of the Government's reforms to the tax and benefit system, from April 2010, households with children in the poorest fifth of the population will be, on average, £4,500 a year better off in real terms.
	On 12 March 2008, the Government reaffirmed their commitment to halving child poverty by 2010 and eliminating it by 2020 with the publication of "Ending child poverty: everybody's business". This sets out the Government's long-term strategy for achieving those targets and is available in the Library.

Council Tax Benefit

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  whether he plans to rename council tax benefit as council tax rebate as recommended by Sir Michael Lyons;
	(2)  if he will increase the upper savings limit relating to council tax benefit;
	(3)  what discussions he has had with Ministerial counterparts on the possibility of paying council tax benefit automatically to those entitled to it; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: Renaming council tax benefit to reflect its true nature as a tax rebate might help encourage more people to make a claim for it. But we want to consider this as part of our wider consideration of how the benefit might be better delivered.
	We have no current plans to change the upper savings limit for eligibility to council tax benefit. But we keep it under review as we do for the other income-related benefits. Any changes would have to be considered alongside other priorities.
	My officials, with their counterparts in the Department for Communities and Local Government and Her Majesty's Treasury, have held numerous discussions about making council tax benefit more accessible and improving take-up by all those entitled to council tax benefit.
	Improving take-up among pensioners is our top priority, and people claiming pension credit on the telephone can already access council tax benefit (and housing benefit) during the same phone call. From October 2008, this process will take place without the need for a claim form. The Pension Service will automatically pass the council tax benefit information to the local authority to assess entitlement.

Council Tax Benefit

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of claimants who were underpaid council tax benefit in 2006-07 have now received their full entitlement for that year.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available.

Departmental Advertising

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of his Department's expenditure was on advertising in each of the last 10 years.

Anne McGuire: The following table details the DWP expenditure on advertising, the total expenditure for the Department as published in the departmental Report 2007 and advertising expenditure expressed as a percentage of the total Departmental expenditure:
	
		
			   Advertising expenditure (£ million)  Departmental total expenditure (£ million)  Advertising costs (percentage) 
			 2006-07 8.549 7685 0.11 
			 2005-06 6.852 7732 0.09 
			 2004-05 22.821 7731 0.30 
			 2003-04 41.78 7590 0.55 
			 2002-03 6.322 6817 0.09 
		
	
	The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001 from the Department of Social Security (DSS), the Employment Service (ES) and parts of the Department for Educations and Employment (DfEE) and information prior to this is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost.
	The advertising expenditure figures relate to media buying expenditure only, which forms the bulk of Departmental publicity expenditure, but excludes direct mail, public relations, production and other costs. All figures are exclusive of VAT and do not include the following as the information is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost:
	spend by non-departmental bodies for which the Department is responsible
	details of highly localised publicity activity by the Department's customer-facing businesses
	recruitment or procurement advertising
	Jobcentre Plus publicity during 2002 to 2003 as at that time allocations were devolved to individual policy teams within regional budgets.

Departmental Data Protection

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether confidential or personal information has been compromised through the loss of property from his Department since 1997.

Stephen Timms: Except in exceptional cases, when it is in the public interest, it has been the policy of successive governments not to comment on breaches of security. However, following the publication of the Data Handling Procedures in Government: Interim Progress Report on 17 December 2007,  Official  Report, column 98WS, all Departments will cover information assurance issues in their annual reports.

Departmental Recruitment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the policy of British jobs for British workers will affect his Department's recruitment policy.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions operate in accordance with the civil service nationality rules. These rules are statutorily based and govern eligibility for employment in the civil service. Copies are available in the Library of the House.

Departmental Sick Pay

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost of sickness pay to staff within his Department was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Anne McGuire: The average annual cost of sickness pay per member of staff of £916 in 2007 reflects current data on the Department's personnel computer system. This was introduced incrementally from November 2006, being fully implemented by April 2007.
	DWP is committed to reducing sickness absence levels. Our approach is to support employees to prevent them falling ill, for example by providing professional stress counselling, and to use qualified occupational health advice to help staff return to work as early as possible when they do take sick leave.

Housing Benefit: Glossop

Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the impact which the transfer of the SK13 postcode area to the North East Greater Manchester locality of the rent service will have on the level of housing benefit paid to people on income support in Glossop.

James Plaskitt: Housing benefit customers in the SK13 area may be affected by the review of localities when their annual referral to the rent officer is made. This process occurs gradually over the course of a year, depending on when the customer made their original claim for housing benefit. Only those customers who have been in receipt of housing benefit for a continuous period of 52 weeks or more, and who made a claim prior to the introduction of the new locality, will be affected.
	The Department for Work and Pensions estimates that (providing there is no change in a customer's circumstances), in the post area of SK13, around 1 per cent. of customers would experience an increase in their benefit entitlement, around 81 per cent. a reduced entitlement and around 18 per cent. would experience no change as a result of the new locality. However, the actual impact is dependent on whether customers break their claim, move into work or move onto the local housing allowance.
	As of October 2007 (latest available data), 189 customers in Glossop were on housing benefit and claiming income support. It is not possible to assess the impact of the locality review on this specific group as this information is not held at this level of detail.

Incapacity Benefit

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people have been  (a) removed from and  (b) in receipt of incapacity benefit (i) nationally and (ii) in Blaenau Gwent constituency since 2006;
	(2)  how many individuals have had their eligibility for receipt of incapacity benefit withdrawn by the incapacity medical board against the advice of such individuals' general practitioners since 2006.

Anne McGuire: Information about the number of individuals who have had their eligibility for receipt of incapacity benefit withdrawn by the incapacity medical board against the advice of such individuals' general practitioners is not available. The available information is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Number of incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance terminations 
			   Great Britain  Blaenau Gwent 
			   All reasons  Failed personal capability assessment  All reasons  Failed personal capability assessment 
			 February 2006 156,000 22,400 (1)400 — 
			 May 2006 163,000 27,400 (1)300 — 
			 August 2006 168,000 29,900 (1)400 (1)100 
			 November 2006 165,500 29,300 500 (1)200 
			 February 2007 163,900 28,800 (1)400 — 
			 May 2007 127,700 33,700 (1)400 (1)100 
			 '—' Nil or Negligible. (1) Figures are subject to a high degree of sampling error and should only be used as a guide.  Notes: 1. Terminations are incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claims that have ended. 2. These figures have been updated to include late notified terminations, including terminations for state pension. 3. Figures for the latest quarter do not include any late notifications and are subject to major changes in future quarters. For illustration purposes, total terminations for May 2004 increased by 33 per cent. in the year following their initial release. 4. Due to operational procedures a small number of personal capability assessment terminations appear in 'Other reasons'. 5. Since April 2001 severe disablement allowance has been closed to new claimants.  Source: DWP Information Directorate 100 per cent Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. 
		
	
	
		
			  Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance case loads 
			   May 2006  May 2007 
			 GB(1) 2,730,000 2,685,320 
			 Blaenau Gwent 7,550 7,150 
			 (1) GB includes a small number of abroad cases.  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: DWP Information Directorate 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Income Support: Lone Parents

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) male and  (b) female lone parents in each region claimed income support in each year since 1997.

James Plaskitt: The available information on the number of male and female lone parents in each region and nation who were in receipt of income support in each year since 1997 has been placed in the Library.

Industrial Health and Safety: Accidents

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people  (a) reported accidents at work and  (b) received compensation for accidents at work in 2007.

Anne McGuire: The number of accidents at work that led to injury are given in the following table and cover the financial year 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007. These statistics are derived from RIDDOR- which is the only source of officially 'reported' data, published under National Statistics guidelines. Statistics covering the period from 1 April 2007 (up to 31 March 2008) will not be complete, validated and available until November 2008.
	
		
			  Injuries in Great Britain by severity of injury, reported to all enforcing authorities (HSE, local authorities and the Office of Rail Regulation) 2006-07 
			   Fatal injuries  Non-fatal injuries  Over 3 day injuries  Total injuries 
			 Employees 185 28,267 113,083 141,535 
			 Self employed 56 1,183 1,139 2,378 
			 Members of public 369 17,483 (2)— 17,852 
			 (1) RIDDOR—The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrence Regulations 1995 (2) Not RIDDOR reportable 
		
	
	As compensation is a matter for the civil courts, HSE does not collect this information. Quarterly figures for work accidents compensated under the industrial injuries scheme can be found on the DWP website, but this does not cover private compensation awards.

Jobcentre Plus: Dismissal

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how much compensation has been paid to the 497 staff dismissed for poor attendance by Jobcentre Plus between October 2006 and September 2007;
	(2)  what the cost was to Jobcentre Plus of the attendance management procedures, including staff time to issue warnings and investigate grievances, associated with the dismissal of 497 people for unsatisfactory attendance between October 2006 and September 2007;
	(3)  what costs Jobcentre Plus incurred in employment tribunals and legal fees arising from the dismissal of 497 individuals for poor attendance between October 2006 and September 2007.

Stephen Timms: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 20 March 2008:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions about the compensation and costs associated with the 497 staff in Jobcentre Plus who have been dismissed between October 2006 and September 2007 due to their attendance record. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as chief executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	You asked how much compensation has been paid to the people in question. This information is not available. Compensation could be payable if poor attendance was the consequence of a medical condition or disability or, with good reason, the employee is not able to return to work. Our management information systems are unable to identify the individual records that would be necessary to establish whether compensation had been paid to any of those affected and if so how much.
	You asked what the costs were to Jobcentre Plus of the attendance management procedures involved in these cases. Attendance management is a regular and routine responsibility of all line managers in Jobcentre Plus as part of their performance management responsibilities and is therefore not accounted for separately.
	Finally you asked what employment tribunal and legal fees were incurred by Jobcentre Plus arising from the dismissal of the 497 people in question. We are unable to directly attribute employment tribunal costs and legal fees to the 497 people dismissed.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Employment

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many recipients of jobseekers allowance have refused at least three reasonable job offers in each of the last three years for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many of those in receipt of jobseeker's allowance have refused at least one reasonable job offer in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

James Plaskitt: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of individuals referred for varied length jobseeker's allowance sanctions for refusal of employment—1 August 2004 to 31 July 2007 
			   Number of individuals 
			  Number of jobs refused  1 August 2004 to 31 July 2005  1 August 2005 to 31 July 2006  1 August 2006 to 31 July 2007 
			 1 or more 15,080 8,640 6,460 
			 3 or more(1) 250 110 310 
			 (1) The figures for three or more jobs refused are included in the figures for one or more jobs refused, therefore the two figures should not be added together.  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  DWP Information Directorate: Jobseeker's Allowance Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he intends to answer the letter to his predecessor of 14 January from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Timothy Gordon.

Anne McGuire: I can confirm that a response to this letter was issued to the right hon. Member on 13 March 2008.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he intends to answer the letter to his predecessor of 17 January from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms Y. Aezal.

Anne McGuire: I can confirm that a response to this letter was issued to the right hon. Member on 13 March 2008.

Members: Correspondence

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to answer the hon. Member for Peterborough's letter of 4 February 2008 on his constituent Mr. Plummer and his dispute with the Child Support Agency.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 20 March 2008:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he expects to answer the Hon. Member for Peterborough's letter of 4(th) February 2008 on his constituent Mr Plummer and his dispute with the Child Support Agency.
	As details about individual cases are confidential, I have written to you separately about this case.

National Insurance: Databases

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of his Department's staff have been disciplined for inappropriate use of the national insurance number database in each of the last five years.

James Plaskitt: The Department does not collect information in the format requested. The information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Occupational Pensions

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many defined benefit occupational pension schemes have wound up since 1997; and how many are in the process of winding up.

Mike O'Brien: The following information was provided by the Pensions Regulator:
	Records show that 7,538 defined benefit occupational schemes have a 'wound up' status with an effective date of 1 January 1997 or later.
	Records show that 1,114 defined benefit schemes have a 'winding up' status.
	 Notes:
	1. Data supplied by the Pensions Regulator is current as at 3 March 2008.
	2. A scheme with 'wound up' status is one which has notified the Pensions Regulator that it has completed winding up procedures.
	3. A scheme with 'winding up' status is one which has notified the Pensions Regulator that it has commenced winding up procedures.

Pensioners

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what his estimate is of the number and proportion of pensioners who will have on retirement private savings and still be eligible for council tax benefit in each year until 2050; and what average amount of savings he estimates such pensioners will have;
	(2)  what his estimate is of the number of people who will be entitled to the basic state pension in each year until 2050;
	(3)  what his estimate is of the number and proportion of women over state pension age who will not be entitled to the full basic state pension in each year until 2050;
	(4)  what his estimate is of the cost of paying housing benefit to people over the state pension age in each year until 2050; and how many and what proportion of pensioners he estimates will receive housing benefit in each of those years;
	(5)  what his estimate is of the cost of paying council tax benefit to people over the state pension age in each year until 2050; and how many and what proportion of pensioners he estimates will receive council tax benefit in each of those years;
	(6)  what his estimate is of the number and proportion of pensioners who on retirement will have access to private savings in each year until 2050; and what his estimate is of the average amount of savings such pensioners will have;
	(7)  what his estimate is of the number and proportion of pensioners who will have  (a) an occupational pension scheme in payment and  (b) a private pension scheme in payment in each year until 2050; and what his estimate is of the average weekly sum pensioners will receive from each type of scheme;
	(8)  what his estimate is of the cost of paying the savings credit element of pension credit in each year until 2050; and how many and what proportion of pensioners he estimates will receive savings credit in each of those years;
	(9)  what his estimate is of the number and proportion of pensioners who will have on retirement private savings and still be eligible for the guarantee credit element of pension credit in each year until 2050; and what average amount of savings he estimates such pensioners will have;
	(10)  what his estimate is of the cost of paying the guarantee credit element of pension credit in each year until 2050; and how many and what proportion of pensioners he estimates will receive guarantee credit in each of those years;
	(11)  what his estimate is of the number and proportion of pensioners who will have on retirement private savings and still be eligible for the savings credit element of pension credit in each year until 2050; and what average amount of savings he estimates such pensioners will have;
	(12)  what his estimate is of the number and proportion of pensioners who will have on retirement private savings and still be eligible for housing benefit in each year until 2050; and what average amount of savings he estimates such pensioners will have;
	(13)  what his estimate is of the cost of paying state second pension entitlements in each year until 2050; and how many and what proportion of pensioners he estimates will receive payments in each of those years;
	(14)  what his estimate is of the cost of paying state earnings related pension entitlements in each year until 2050; and how many and what proportion of pensioners he estimates will receive payments in each of those years.

Mike O'Brien: The information available has been placed in the Library.

Pensions: Northern Ireland

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the policy areas covered by the draft statutory instruments relating to occupational pension schemes and the Pension Protection Fund, considered in the Second Delegated Legislation Committee on 17 March 2008, in so far as they relate to Northern Ireland, are matters for the Northern Ireland Assembly; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: Social security and pensions are transferred matters under the Northern Ireland Act 1998. Section 323 (Extent) of the Pensions Act 2004 therefore sets out which provisions of the Act apply in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Section 323(2)(b) lists those provisions relating to part 2 (the Board of the Pension Protection Fund) which extend to Northern Ireland.
	The draft Pension Protection Fund (Pension Compensation Cap) Order 2008, the draft Occupational Pension Schemes (Levies) (Amendment) Regulations 2008 and the draft Occupational Pension Scheme (Levy Ceiling) Order 2008, considered in the Second Delegated Legislation Committee on 17 March 2008, do not fall under any of these provisions and therefore apply to Great Britain only.
	I understand that the Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland proposes to make corresponding statutory rules for Northern Ireland.

Social Fund

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of payments made from the social fund were made to people who were awaiting the outcome of benefit applications in the last five years; and what consideration his Department has given to the idea of introducing advance payments for people awaiting the outcome of benefit applications.

James Plaskitt: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 20 March 2008:
	The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked me to reply to your question asking what percentage of payments made from the Social Fund were made to people who were awaiting the outcome of benefit applications in the last five years: and what consideration the Department has given to the idea of introducing advance payments for people awaiting the outcome of benefit applications. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Information on the percentage of payments made from the Social Fund made to people who were awaiting the outcome of benefit applications is not available.
	With reference to what consideration the Department has given to the idea of introducing advance payments for people awaiting the outcome of benefit applications, Jobcentre Plus have recently completed a full investigation into the feasibility of introducing Advance Payments. This concluded it would require substantial changes in primary legislation and major IT changes therefore making it unfeasible.
	Our aim is to ensure that benefit applications are processed efficiently. We continue to make interim payments available to those customers who have an underlying entitlement to benefit but are experiencing delay in payment of that benefit.

Social Security Benefits: Expenditure

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the distribution by income decile of the expenditure arising from  (a) carer's allowance,  (b) attendance allowance,  (c) disability living allowance,  (d) incapacity benefit,  (e) income support and  (f) winter fuel allowance in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: Information is not available for winter fuel payments. The available information has been placed in the Library.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost was of running the Fraud Investigation Service in the financial year 2006-07.

James Plaskitt: The budget for the Fraud Investigation Service in the financial year 2006-07 was £106.8 million, of which £93.6 million represents staffing costs. As at April 2007, there were 2,926 people employed by the Fraud Investigation Service.

Social Security Benefits: Personal Records

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2008,  Official Report, column 574W, on social security benefits: personal records, 
	(1)  what percentage of successful applicants have their criminal records checked;
	(2)  how many  (a) successful applicants and  (b) criminal records checks there were in each of the last 10 years;
	(3)  whether all those with access to the entire database have had their criminal records checked;
	(4)  how many successful applicants were found to have a criminal record after a criminal records check took place in each of the last 10 years;
	(5)  whether the selection of successful candidates who will undergo a criminal records check is random or targeted; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: Prior to April 2007, in accordance with Cabinet Office guidance, all prospective candidates for employment in the Department were required to complete a declaration in which they had to state whether they had any convictions for offences which were unspent (within the terms of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act). Additionally, criminal records checks were carried out where employees were appointed to sensitive posts.
	Since April 2007 all successful candidates for posts have been subject, prior to appointment, to an additional random 10 per cent. check of their criminal record declarations.
	Between April 2007, and 31 December 2007, 567 candidates had their criminal records checked in this way. These checks revealed that seven candidates had a criminal record. Following the completion of these checks, decisions on whether or not to appoint were made on a case-by-case basis and, after careful consideration, it was decided that, in two of these cases, the candidate's appointment should be confirmed.
	In the light of this experience, my Department has decided to implement criminal record checks of all successful candidates for posts. This will be introduced on a phased basis.
	No centrally held information is available on the number of employees whose criminal records were checked for the nine years prior to April 2007, and it would be disproportionately expensive to obtain this information.

Social Security Benefits: Post Office Card Account

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 21 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1024W, on social security benefits: post office card account, what the administrative cost of paying benefits into post office card accounts, excluding start-up costs or investment in delivery systems, was in the last 12 months for which information is available.

James Plaskitt: The administrative cost to DWP of paying benefits into a Post Office card account, excluding start-up costs or investment in delivery systems from April 2006 to March 2007 was £152 million. HM Revenue and Social Security Agency, Northern Ireland also have contracts with Post Office for payments they make into a Post Office card account.

Social Security Benefits: Post Office Card Account

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 21 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1024W, on social security benefits: post office card account, what the average transaction cost was of each benefit payment into a  (a) bank account and  (b) post office card account in the last 12 months for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: Currently, the average transaction cost of each benefit payment into  (a) a bank account is around 1p and  (b) into a Post Office card account is around 80p.

State Retirement Pensions

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of uprating the basic state pension on the basis of average earnings in  (a) 2010,  (b) 2012 and  (c) 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: Current baseline projections of expenditure on pensioner benefits assume that the basic state pension is increased by earnings from 2012. The net additional cost of increasing the basic state pension by earnings from 2010-11 or 2015-16 is given in the following table.
	
		
			   Net additional cost (£ billion, 2007-08 prices) of increasing the basic state pension by earnings from: 
			  Net additional annual cost  2010-11  2015-16 
			 2010-11 0.8 0.0 
			 2011-12 1.5 0.0 
			 2012-13 1.6 -0.7 
			 2013-14 1.6 -1.5 
			 2014-15 1.7 -2.3 
			 2015-16 1.7 -2.4 
			 2016-17 1.8 -2.5 
			 2017-18 1.8 -2.5 
			 2018-19 1.9 -2.6 
			 2019-20 1.9 -2.7 
			 2020-21 2.0 -2.8 
			 2030-31 3.0 -4.2 
			 2040-41 4.2 -5.9 
			 2050-51 5.4 -7.6 
			  Notes: 1. Estimates are additional to the baseline assumption of increasing the basic state pension by earnings from 2012. During the next Parliament, we will re-link the uprating of the basic state pension to average earnings. Our objective, subject to affordability and the fiscal position, is to do this in 2012, but in any event by the end of the Parliament at the latest. We will make a statement on the precise date at the beginning of the next Parliament. 2. Estimates are presented in net terms reflecting that the estimated savings from reduced income related benefit payments (pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit) have been deducted. The proportions of additional expenditure saved through reduced income related benefit payments have been estimated using the Department's policy simulation model and are assumed to remain constant over time. 3. In the financial years up to and including 2013-14 Treasury economic assumptions consistent with Budget 2008 have been used to model earnings uprating. After this point a long term earnings growth assumption of 4.93 per cent. has been applied. 4. Estimates are in 2007-08 prices and have been rounded to the nearest £0.1 billion.  Source: DWP modelling

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Academies: Expenditure

Ken Purchase: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the total annual revenue support was for English  (a) academy schools and  (b) community schools in each year since 2003-04; and what the average spend per pupil was in English (i) academy schools and (ii) community schools in each year.

Jim Knight: The Department aims to provide academies with funding for running costs that is equivalent to other state-funded schools in similar circumstances in their local authority. Achieving equivalence requires the Department to make certain adjustments, for example, to reflect a phased intake of pupils, or VAT status. In addition, academies are funded to buy services that local authorities would normally provide to other schools free of charge, such as education welfare services.
	The National Audit Office's report, "The Academies Programme" (HC 254 Session 2006-07, 23 February 2007), examined the Department's formula for calculating ongoing funding and found that it should achieve the intended equivalence. The following table showing the average per pupil funding of academies and maintained community secondary schools in local authorities with academies supports this conclusion.
	
		
			  Financial year  Average per pupil funding in academies( 1)  Average school-based expenditure per pupil in maintained community secondary schools in local authorities with academies 
			 2003-04 4,294 4,064 
			 2004-05 4,469 4,241 
			 2005-06 4,203 4,538 
			 2006-07 4,600 4,684 
			 2007-08 4,927 n/a 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) Excludes elements paid to academies to compensate for increased costs (start-up grant; VAT grant; earmarked additional grants; and local authority central spend equivalent grant). 
		
	
	Detailed figures underlying this summary chart and figures for the total annual revenue support are given in the following tables.
	Academies recurrent funding since 2003-04 is detailed as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Financial year  General annual grant  Per pupil  Per pupil excluding elements paid to compensate for increased costs( 1) 
			 2003-04 41,804,995 5,494 4,294 
			 2004-05 79,377,129 5,719 4,469 
			 2005-06 124,499,175 5,378 4,203 
			 2006-07 224,666,333 5,851 4,600 
			 2007-08 419,537,199 6,344 4,927 
			 (1) Excluded items are start-up grant; VAT grant; earmarked additional grants; and local authority central spend equivalent grant.  Source: DCSF Academies Finance Team. 
		
	
	The total budget share plus grants allocated to local authority maintained community schools in England for the same period is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Financial year  All maintained community primary and secondary schools  Primary schools  Secondary schools 
			 2003-04 13,960,041,189 7,326,030,460 6,634,010,729 
			 2004-05 14,927,931,328 7,783,669,670 7,144,261,658 
			 2005-06 16,008,881,739 8,299,829,004 7,709,052,735 
			 2006-07 17,239,187,788 8,911,383,908 8,327,803,881 
			 2007-08 18,350,103,224 9,454,159,041 8,895,944,183 
			  Source: The financial data are drawn from the local authorities section 52 Outturn Statements submitted to the DCSF (formerly DfES). 2007-08 figures remain provisional and subject to change by the local authority. 
		
	
	The equivalent figures for community schools in local authorities with academies in them are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Financial year  Total allocated to maintained community schools in local authorities with academies  Total allocated to primary schools in local authorities with academies  Total allocated to secondary schools in local authorities with academies 
			 2003-04 807,575,613 501,696,830 305,878,783 
			 2004-05 1,287,638,250 822,334,818 465,303,432 
			 2005-06 2,420,022,310 1,473,286,639 946,735,671 
			 2006-07 3,868,183,901 2,282,162,424 1,586,021,477 
			 2007-08 5,511,564,851 3,216,446,978 2,295,117,872 
			  Source: The financial data are drawn from the local authorities section 52 Outturn Statements submitted to the DCSF (formerly DfES). 2007-08 figures remain provisional and subject to change by the local authority. 
		
	
	School-based expenditure per pupil in local authority maintained community schools is as follows (cash terms figures as reported by local authorities as at 11 March 2008).
	
		
			  Financial year  All maintained community primary and secondary schools  Primary schools  Secondary schools  Community schools within LAs with academies  Primary schools within LAs with academies  Secondary schools within LAs with academies 
			 £ 
			 2003-04 3,172 2,661 3,547 3,517 2,915 4,064 
			 2004-05 3,255 2,837 3,819 3,465 3,106 4,241 
			 2005-06 3,517 3,078 4,109 3,714 3,296 4,538 
			 2006-07 3,738 3,282 4,365 3,877 3,448 4,684 
			  Notes: 1. School-based expenditure includes only expenditure incurred directly by the schools. This includes the pay of teachers and school-based support staff, school premises costs, books and equipment, and certain other supplies and services, less any capital items funded from recurrent spending and income from sales, fees and charges and rents and rates. This excludes the central cost of support services such as home to school transport, local authority administration and the financing of capital expenditure. Pupil numbers include only those pupils attending maintained establishments within each sector and are drawn from the DCSF schools census adjusted to be on a financial year basis. 2. Figures for secondary schools include any LSC funding and LSC pupils for schools with sixth forms. 3. The figures for "community schools within LAs with academies" includes the average school-based expenditure per pupil for all maintained community primary and secondary schools within those local authorities which also had academies during the financial year.  Source: The financial data are drawn from the local authorities section 52 Outturn Statements submitted to the DCSF (formerly DfES). 2006-07 figures remain provisional and subject to change by the local authority.

Education Maintenance Allowance

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what information his Department holds on the number of families which have deliberately reduced their income so that children become eligible for education maintenance allowance in the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has no evidence that any household has deliberately reduced their income so that their children become eligible for education maintenance allowance.

English Language: General Certificate of Secondary Education

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils were not entered for  (a) English,  (b) mathematics and  (c) English and mathematics GCSEs in 2007.

Jim Knight: In 2007 there were 44,101 (7 per cent.) pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 who did not attempt English and mathematics at GCSE. Tables showing pupil numbers (table 1) and number of attempts at GCSE by subject (tables 10-12) can be found in the Statistical First Release 'GCSE and Equivalent Examination Results in England, 2006/07 (Revised)', available at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000768/index.shtml.
	These figures are based on pupils attempting full course GCSEs in all schools, however, in some independent schools pupils attempt International GCSEs in English and mathematics instead but these are not included here as they have not been accredited by QCA or approved by the Secretary of State.

Faith Schools: Admissions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of maintained schools use religious faith as a criterion for admission; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: There are 6,800 maintained faith schools out of a total of 20,504 maintained schools in England. Faith schools do not have to necessarily use faith-based oversubscription criteria as part of their admission arrangements, and if they are undersubscribed they must offer places to all parents who apply. This is a matter for admission authorities to determine and we, therefore, do not hold this information centrally.

General Certificate of Secondary Education

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many pupils sat more than 10 GCSEs in 2007;
	(2)  how many pupils were entered for less than five GCSEs in 2007.

Jim Knight: The number of pupils who sat more than 10 GCSEs at the end of key stage 4 in 2007 is 17,040.
	The number of pupils who were entered for less than five GCSEs or equivalent at the end of key stage 4 in 2007 is 36,620.

General Certificate of Secondary Education

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many pupils achieved at least five GCSEs grades A* to C in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) North East and  (d) England in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many pupils achieved five GCSEs grades A* to C including English and mathematics in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) North East and  (d) England in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The available information is given in the table.
	
		
			  Number and percentage of pupils achieving (i) 5 GCSEs at grades A*-C and (ii) 5 GCSEs at A*-C including English and maths: 1997( 1)  to 2007( 2) 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			  Numbers
			  Achieving 5 A*-C grades
			 Jarrow constituency 373 357 395 378 447 451 430 466 496 552 653 
			 South Tyneside LA 668 672 728 723 789 903 894 912 997 1,110 1,242 
			 North East 11,492 11,279 12,056 12,694 13,525 14,061 14,985 15,798 16,587 18,154 19,707 
			 England 228,646 231,222 243,870 250,936 265,498 276,239 292,438 307,046 319,481 339,289 359,599 
			 
			  Achieving 5 A*-C grades including English and Mathematics
			 Jarrow constituency 281 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 334 406 470 
			 South Tyneside LA 511 561 591 607 653 733 696 701 662 791 878 
			 North East 8,758 8,642 9,433 10,026 10,684 11,030 11,125 11,584 11,785 12,779 13,607 
			 England 174,990 179,493 191,800 199,147 211,245 220,463 225,963 238,463 247,360 260,608 274,735 
			 
			  Percentages
			  Achieving 5 A*-C grades
			 Jarrow constituency 38.8 38.1 41.5 39.9 42.3 42.7 40.6 45.3 52.4 55.9 60.4 
			 South Tyneside LA 35.7 36.9 39.9 39.3 39.1 42.2 43.5 45.1 51.6 55.6 59.3 
			 North East 36.8 37.1 39.4 41.7 42.5 44.3 46.8 48.7 53.5 57.3 60.5 
			 England 42.5 43.8 45.7 47.0 47.9 49.5 51.1 52.0 54.8 57.2 60.1 
			 
			  Achieving 5 A*-C grades including English and Mathematics
			 Jarrow constituency 29.2 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 35.3 41.1 43.5 
			 South Tyneside LA 27.3 30.8 32.4 33.0 32.3 34.2 33.9 34.7 34.2 39.6 41.9 
			 North East 28.0 28.4 30.8 32.9 33.6 34.8 34.7 35.7 38.0 40.3 41.8 
			 England 32.5 34.0 39.4 37.3 38.1 39.5 42.8 40.4 46.7 43.9 45.9 
			 (1) Figures for 1997 to 2006 are based upon 15-year-olds. (2) Figures for 2007 are based upon pupils at the end of key stage 4. Note: n/a = not available

General Certificate of Secondary Education

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils who did not obtain five A*- C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics did not go on to further education in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The Youth Cohort Study is able to provide estimates for pupils who took GCSEs in 2003, the latest data available. Of those who did not obtain five GCSE A*-C grades including Mathematics and English, approximately 44 per cent. did not continue in full time education after finishing Year 11. However, some of these would have gone into other forms of education or training such as Government Supported Training or part time education.

General Certificate of Secondary Education: Coventry

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps the Government has taken to increase the number of young people in Coventry achieving five A* to C grades at GCSE.

Jim Knight: The following table shows the progress made in improved GCSE results in Coventry schools, compared with national aggregates, since 1997.
	
		
			   1997  2007 
			   5A*-C  5A*-C including English and maths  5A*-C  5A*-C including English and maths 
			 England 45.1 35.6 60.8 46.0 
			 Coventry 36.9 27.1 52.3 38.7 
		
	
	The general rise in secondary standards may be attributed to improvements in teaching and learning, better school leadership, targeted intervention to tackle school failure, better use of pupil performance data and the ambitious targets schools and local authorities have set for their pupils. Challenge and support through the National Secondary Strategy has also had a substantial recent impact.
	As part of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Budget for 2008, the Government have now committed a new £200 million package, over the next three years, for a National Challenge to raise standards in secondary schools, with particular focus on those schools where less than 30 per cent. of pupils achieve five or more good GCSEs including English and mathematics. The National Challenge programme will provide intensive support for the most vulnerable secondary schools, and will empower many head teachers of strong schools to help turn around other schools that are unable to raise low attainment. The programme will help create new trusts and federations based on successful schools; and, in areas of greatest need, drive forward a faster expansion of the academies programme.
	The National Challenge is a strategy for all schools to learn from each other and will therefore help all secondary pupils to progress to the best of their abilities.

Home Education

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will make it his policy to collect information on the number of children of compulsory school age who are home educated.

Jim Knight: We do not intend to collect information on the number of children of compulsory school age who are home educated.

Literacy: Primary Education

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance and information on the teaching of literacy his Department sends or makes available to maintained primary schools.

Jim Knight: Guidance and information for maintained Primary schools for the teaching of literacy is available through the Primary National Strategy and Primary Framework. This covers:
	Early Reading (which includes phonics and the "simple view of reading" and Every Child a Reader)
	Learning objectives for speaking and listening, reading, writing Assessment
	Planning (which includes support for intervention through Early Literacy Support, Year 3 Literacy Support and Further Literacy Support)
	All materials are available for download on
	www.standards.dcsf.gsi.gov.uk/primaryframework.
	Hard copies of the Primary Framework and the Letters and Sounds phonics materials have been sent to all maintained primary schools and have been placed in the House Libraries.
	The Primary National Strategy also provides continuing professional development in literacy and exemplification of good practice (through DVDs for instance). Every local authority has a literacy consultant to provide CPD for all and work specifically with targeted schools.

Literacy: Teaching Methods

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to his Department's press release of 14 March on progress in teaching phonics, if he will place in the Library a copy of Sir Jim Rose's letter on phonics teaching in schools.

Jim Knight: I have arranged for a copy of Sir Jim Rose's letter to be placed in the House Libraries.
	 Letter from Jim Rose, dated 13 March 2008:
	When the Independent Review of the Teaching of Early Reading was published the Secretary of State at the time asked me to report on how well the recommendations were being implemented. This letter is my response. It is based on a series of visits to schools, discussions with local authorities and attendance at Primary National Strategy training events.
	It is an obvious truth that if world class reading standards are to be achieved then world class teaching must be provided. The indications are that good progress has been made in raising the quality of teaching for beginner readers such that the leading edge work in our schools is excellent by any standard. It is also clear that schools are responding very positively to the first recommendation of the Review: to strengthen children's speaking and listening skills as important in their own right, and as a basis for reading and writing.
	Following acceptance of the review recommendations the National Curriculum has been amended and the Primary Literacy Framework has been renewed so that high quality phonic work is the prime approach to teaching reading. A Communication, Language and Literacy Development (CLLD) programme has been developed to improve the teaching of phonics, and a free phonics teaching resource, 'Letters and Sounds', has been produced. In addition, the new Early Years Foundation Stage will reflect the Review's recommendations. I have kept closely in touch with these developments.
	Overall, the message is positive, and schools are reporting that many children are making faster progress in learning how to read and to spell than was previously the case. As a broad estimate, at least three-quarters of our primary schools are implementing phonic work as recommended by the review. However, as might be expected, there is considerable variation in the quality of teaching and children's progress as schools come to terms with implementing the recommendations from different starting points.
	High quality, systematic teaching of decoding and encoding skills, ie phonic work, is a key factor in securing children's progress in reading and writing. Notable features of success which underpin such teaching include:
	Opportunities for professional development and consistency of message—all those responsible for the briefing and training to settings and schools were themselves trained and fully conversant with the Review's recommendations.
	Linking principles to practice—the "simple view of reading" is the rationale recommended by the Review which enabled the training to make clear why it is important to teach high quality phonic work and how to teach it.
	Coaching and feedback—teachers reported the value of observing their own class being taught word recognition skills expertly by a National Strategies consultant. They also valued opportunities for feedback on the quality of their own teaching, and for coaching on points which called for improvement.
	Robust leadership—as ever, the best teaching was where head teachers were fully committed and pressed relentlessly for a consistent, school wide approach.
	Lead teachers—having teachers who, irrespective of their job titles, took a strong lead, were knowledgeable in the teaching of reading, to whom others could turn for advice and support.
	Teaching assistants—who had received thorough training and were able to support teachers, and help children with their reading.
	Teachers as ambassadors—in implementing the recommendations on the teaching of reading teachers drew considerable professional satisfaction from their success and especially that of the children. They were willing advocates of the approach to a wider audience.
	Although much excellent progress in the teaching of early reading and writing is evident, I do not believe we have yet reached the point where such teaching is the norm for all children. For example, not all settings and schools are yet self-sustaining in teaching phonic knowledge and skills essential for reading and making sure that children apply these skills to comprehend what they read. This strongly suggests that in-service support for serving teachers, practitioners and teaching assistants should continue to focus on phonics in the context of a broad and language rich curriculum. It would also be prudent to keep the various forms of initial teacher training under review to ensure that trainee teachers are well prepared to teach reading effectively.
	These issues are being addressed through the CLLD programme and other initiatives. I hope to comment further on the standards and quality of teaching reading in the review of the primary curriculum which you have asked me to undertake.

Primary Education: Standards

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of primary schools were judged to be satisfactory by Ofsted at their most recent inspection.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 14 March 2008:
	Parliamentary question number 192667: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many primary schools were judged to be satisfactory by Ofsted at their most recent inspection?
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.
	As of 7 March 2008, there are 17208 primary schools, including middle-deemed primary schools. Of these, 16928 have had at least one inspection with an overall effectiveness grade. For 13254 of these, the latest inspection was carried out under the current inspection framework, in use since September 2005, and for the remaining 3674 the latest inspection was carried out under the previous inspection framework.
	Of the 13254 inspected under the current framework, which uses a four point scale, 4651 were judged to be satisfactory. Of the 3674 inspected under the previous framework, which used a seven point scale, 1108 were judged to be satisfactory.
	It is not possible to operate a simple read-across approach from a seven- to a four-point scale. Some schools judged good under the previous inspection framework would now be judged satisfactory. Ofsted's criteria for making inspection judgements about schools are clearly set out in our inspection guidance. Inspectors do not make reference to, or comparisons with, the previous inspection framework.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Children, Schools and Families and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Pupil Referral Units: General Certificate of Secondary Education

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of pupils in a pupil referral unit obtained a GCSE in 2007.

Jim Knight: There were 3,421 15-year-old pupils in pupil referral units who gained a qualification in 2007. This is 54.5 per cent. of the total of 6,280 15-year-old pupils. These figures include GCSEs and other equivalent qualifications approved for use pre-16.

Schools: Admissions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of maintained schools selected a portion of their intake by aptitude in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department does not collect data on selection by aptitude. Schools with a specialism may select up to 10 per cent. of their intake by aptitude in modern foreign languages, performing or visual arts, or physical education, and where they did so before 2007, technology and information technology.

Schools: Admissions

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will consider bringing forward proposals  (a) to require head teachers to sign statutory declarations to confirm compliance with the Schools Admissions Code and  (b) to impose fines on (i) headteachers and (ii) schools for serious breaches of the Code.

Jim Knight: Responsibility for ensuring that schools comply with the School Admissions Code and admissions legislation rests with local authorities and the governing bodies (rather than head teachers) of own admission authority schools. All admission authorities are required to act in accordance with the School Admissions Code and we announced to Parliament on 17 March further steps to ensure the proper implementation of the Code so that no parent or child is disadvantaged by unfair admission arrangements.

Schools: Admissions

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will consider placing the conduct of schools admissions under the supervision of an independent body; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: We are committed to ensuring compliance with the school admissions code and admissions legislation, and that admission authorities set fair and lawful admission arrangements. I wrote in January to all admission authorities to emphasise this and remind local authorities and admission forums to challenge unfair or unlawful policies.
	As announced in the Children's Plan in December 2007, we are reviewing the school application and allocation process and are considering how admissions should be managed as part of that review. We will consult on a range of proposals as a result of this review to further strengthen the admissions system in the summer.

Schools: Buildings

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much was spent on  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school buildings in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the north-east and (iv) England in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The Department allocates capital to local authorities and schools, and then relies on the local community to prioritise how it is spent between primary and secondary school buildings. Accordingly, it does not maintain central records on how much capital has been allocated between the two.
	The following table sets out capital allocations from the Department to (i) South Tyneside, (ii) the north-east and (iii) England in each year since 1997.
	Figures are not available centrally for allocations to Jarrow constituency, as allocations are made on a local authority basis.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 South Tyneside - 1.5 2.5 3.4 5.7 4.8 9.2 6.6 21.9 169.1 4.4 4.6 
			 North-east 34.6 53.0 79.5 116.0 182.7 170.5 226.7 193.5 684.0 1,896.5 2,466.6 
			 England 800 1,062 1,437 2,269 2,409 3,484 4,144 4,861 5,262 4,984 6,420 
			  Notes: 1. The amounts spent will, in any year, differ from departmental allocations. This is because of expenditure timing differences, local prioritisation, and other resources that may be available locally. 2. The South Tyneside figure of £21.9 million in 2004-05 includes a £15.8 million PFI allocation, and the South Tyneside allocation of £169.1 million in 2005-06 a Building Schools for the Future allocation of £164 million. 3. The figures include indicative allocations, conventional and PFI credits, for Building Schools for the Future ( BSF) projects for the years 2005-06 to 2007-08. As projects develop, allocations will be subject to change. Actual BSF expenditure will be spread over a number of years. 4. The figures for England are taken from departmental annual reports and published figures, with the addition of PFI credits. The England figures for 2006-07and 2007-08 are subject to change.

Schools: Closures

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools have been closed after either being placed in special measures or given notice to improve since 1997.

Jim Knight: Since 1997, 264 schools have been closed after being placed in special measures; and 14 schools have closed after being judged in need of significant improvement (also known as "notice to improve") since that category was introduced in 2005.

Schools: Fire Prevention

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been allocated to the fitting of fire suppression systems in schools in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The Department does not hold information centrally on the amount allocated by local authorities and schools on fire suppression systems in schools in each of the last five years. Allocations are prioritised locally in accordance with asset management plans.

Schools: Fire Prevention

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  whether local authorities will be expected to show evidence that his Department's guidance document Designing and Managing Against the Risk of Fire in Schools (BB100) has been complied with and the conclusions of the accompanying risk assessment followed in any application for funding under the Building Schools for the Future and Primary Capital programmes;
	(2)  whether funding for new school buildings and major refurbishments under the Building Schools for the Future and Primary Capital programmes is contingent on compliance by local authorities with his Department's guidance document Designing and Managing Against the Risk of Fire in Schools (BB100) and the accompanying risk assessment tool; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Building Bulletins, among them BB100, are guidance documents and local authorities are responsible for compliance.
	It is our expectation that all new and some refurbished schools will have fire sprinklers installed, however this is not a compulsory measure. There may be cases where local authorities or other promoters of schools consider that sprinklers are not needed. If so, in case of challenge they will need to be able to demonstrate that such schools are very low risk and that sprinklers would not represent good value for money.
	Compliance with the Building Regulations for Fire is covered by Building Bulletin 100 and all designs must meet the life-safety requirements set out there. These life-safety requirements are enforced by Building Control Bodies. Sprinkler systems classed as life-safety systems and any trade-off of the fire requirements for life-safety that are allowed by BB100, for buildings fitted with sprinkler systems, will need to be checked in detail by the Building Control Body.

Secondary Education: Admissions

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the key findings of Research Brief DCSF-RB020 of January 2008 on Secondary School Admissions in respect of admissions policies and segregated intakes.

Jim Knight: We are considering the key findings and recommendations of this research as part of our wider review of the admissions system, which we announced in the Children's Plan in December 2007. We will consult on proposals coming out of this review this summer.

Secondary Education: Curriculum

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects to publish the Secondary School Curriculum and Staffing survey figures for 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Results from the Secondary School Curriculum and Staffing Survey 2007 are expected to be published in May 2008.
	The survey was carried out by the National Foundation for Education Research (NFER) on behalf of the Department. It is a sample survey where the data requires detailed analysis to ensure that the results are as representative of the population as possible and provide reliable comparisons to the previous survey in 2002. This work is ongoing and has taken longer than anticipated, resulting in a delay to the publication of the final report.

Secondary Education: Qualifications

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what  (a) diplomas,  (b) GCSEs and  (c) A-levels, by subject, each maintained secondary school and college will be obliged to offer to all students by (i) 2010, (ii) 2013 and (iii) 2015.

Jim Knight: The new secondary curriculum and the 14 to 19 diplomas share the same core aims and care has been taken to ensure that approaches to teaching and learning are directly aligned. In both cases, there is an emphasis on learner choice and on locally-designed curricula that will meet the needs of students and their community. The GCSE criteria have also been revised recently to be consistent with the secondary curriculum.
	There will be a phased build up of the diplomas, with 14 diplomas being taught at all three levels from September 2010.
	By 2011, a full suite of 17 diplomas at all three levels will be available. From 2013 there will be a national entitlement to the first 14 diplomas which will place a duty on local authorities and the LSC to ensure young people have access to a diploma. We are considering how the entitlement should be extended to the three new diplomas announced in October 2007.
	We do not expect any single institution to offer all diplomas. Rather, diplomas will be taught by consortiums of schools, colleges, and work-based learning providers, working in partnership with the local authority and employers. Schools and colleges are free to offer the GCSEs and A-levels they think are appropriate for their students, but at key stage 4 must offer the national curriculum programmes of study for English, mathematics; ICT, physical education and citizenship. They must also offer pupils a course of study in science that covers the programme of study and leads to at least two science GCSEs.
	They must also teach religious education; sex education; careers education; and work-related learning and they must ensure that all pupils are able to follow a course of study within each of four entitlement areas: the arts, design and technology, humanities and modern foreign languages. There are no plans to change this position, but we have committed to reviewing the future of GCSEs and A-levels in 2013 in the light of experience of diplomas.

Secondary Education: Standards

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to raise standards in secondary schools.

Jim Knight: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 February 2007,  Official Report, column 258W.
	As part of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Budget for 2008, the Government have committed a new £200 million package, over the next three years, for the National Challenge to raise standards in secondary schools—with a particular focus on those schools whose pupils are low attaining at GCSE. The National Challenge programme will empower more of the best head teachers to help turn around schools which are unable to raise low attainment; create new trusts and federations based on successful schools; and, in areas of greatest need, drive forward a faster expansion of the academies programme.
	This new programme to raise standards is a strategy for all schools to learn from each other and will therefore help all pupils to progress to the best of their abilities.

Specialised Diplomas

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of  (a) academies,  (b) independent schools and  (c) trust schools have not joined a consortium with other schools and colleges to provide diplomas;
	(2)  how many academies he expects to offer the full range of diplomas from  (a) September 2008 and  (b) September 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Applications for the first consortia were received in December 2006 when there were only 46 open academies. In March 2007, 18 academies were in consortia approved for the delivery of the first diplomas from September 2008. This equates to 39 per cent. of academies open at that time. There are currently 83 academies open. 60 academies are in consortia that have submitted applications for delivery of the second wave of diplomas from September 2009—14 of which are already in consortia for the first wave of diplomas. This means that a total of 64 academies are in consortia that have been approved or are currently under consideration. In addition, one city technology college that is converting to academy status is in a proposed consortium for diplomas to be delivered from 2009. Successful consortia for the delivery of diplomas will be announced in the near future.
	Of the 37 schools which had acquired trust school status under the Education and Inspections Act 2006 as at 29 February 2008, 22 cater for pupils aged 14 and above. Of these 22 schools, 12 are in consortia approved through the Gateway process to deliver the first diplomas in September 2008. This equates to 54 per cent. of this group. A further seven of the 22 schools are in consortia which have applied to deliver the second line of diplomas from September 2009 and are awaiting decisions.
	For information relating to independent schools, I refer the hon. Member to my reply to his question 189033, on 3 March 2008,  Official Report, column 2156W.

Specialised Diplomas

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether schools and colleges will be permitted not to offer certain diplomas if low take-up makes them unviable; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: We do not expect any single institution to offer all Diplomas. Rather, Diplomas will be taught by consortia of schools, colleges, and work-based learning providers, working in partnership with the local authority, employers, and higher education institutions. Individual institutions are under no obligation to offer a particular Diploma.

Specialised Diplomas

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his latest estimate is of likely diploma take-up in each year between 2008 and 2020; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Schools and colleges are asked to provide estimates of Diploma take-up as part of the Diploma Gateway Process. Based on initial consortia estimates submitted to the first Diploma Gateway in November 2006, up to around 39,000 places were approved for delivery in September 2008. Young people are currently making their choices for this September. The results of the second Diploma Gateway process are due to be published on 19 March 2008, which will provide us with consortia predictions for 2009.
	In the longer term, our initial modelling suggests that around one in four 14 to 19-year-old learners will be undertaking one of the first 14 Diplomas from September 2013. This is not a target, but a working model to help with planning towards the introduction of the national entitlement. The modelling does not yet go beyond 2013.

Specialised Diplomas

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many diplomas will be offered from  (a) 2010,  (b) 2013 and  (c) 2015; what (i) levels and (ii) subjects will be available; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: We are making good progress on diploma design and delivery to prepare schools and colleges to teach these new qualifications from September 2008. Diplomas offer a clear suite of national qualifications covering a wide range of disciplines and sectors of the economy. They will be available at three levels (foundation, higher and advanced) to offer all young people the right choice.
	There will be a phased build up of the diplomas, with 14 diplomas being taught at all three levels from September 2010.
	By 2011, a full suite of 17 diplomas at all three levels will be available. The full suite of 17 diplomas will continue to be offered from 2013 and beyond.
	The extended diploma will also be available in all 17 lines of learning, and at all three levels. It will be available for first teaching from 2011.

Specialised Diplomas

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what effect he expects the introduction of the diploma to have on the proportion of students obtaining five A*-C GCSEs or their equivalent; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The introduction of diplomas will help to engage more young people in learning, transform standards in the basics and in the wider skills for employability, and enable young people to be taking qualifications that have a real standing with employers and support their progression into further and higher education to gain higher level skills. Our ambition is that the diplomas, along with our other 14 to 19 reforms, will enable more young people to achieve year on year and secure qualifications that will enable them to progress and lead rewarding lives. As diplomas increasingly become available over the next few years, more young people will choose to study them and students who achieve the higher diploma (level 2) will count against the five A*-C GCSE indicator in the School and College Achievement and Attainment Tables.

Specialised Diplomas

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the  (a) GCSE and  (b) A-level equivalent is of each diploma and level; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The QCA has calculated performance points for diplomas so that they can be given an equivalence in the School and College Achievement and Attainment tables. The Foundation Diploma is equivalent to five GCSEs at level 1 (grades D-G); the Higher Diploma is equivalent to seven GCSEs at level 2 (grades A*-C); the Progression Diploma is equivalent to 2.5 A-levels (and attracts 300 UCAS points); and the Advanced Diploma is equivalent to 3.5 A-levels (and attracts 420 UCAS points).
	The Extended Diploma will be equivalent to 4.5 A-levels.

Specialised Diplomas

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much guided learning time will be required to teach  (a) a diploma to Level 2 and  (b) seven GCSEs; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The higher diploma (level 2) will require 800 guided learning hours and can be delivered in one or two years if taken on its own or in two years if taken at the same time as the key stage 4 national curriculum programme of study. GCSEs are placed in size bands, which are ranges of guided learning hours. A range of between 595 and 684 guided learning hours will be necessary to teach seven GCSEs.
	The figure for the higher diploma includes 140 guided learning hours for personal learning and thinking skills and functional skills. At key stage 4, this element will be delivered in any case across the curriculum, meaning that in the context of this key stage the higher diploma teaching requirement is within the range for seven GCSEs. The larger figure reflects the fact that the higher diploma will also be taught in other contexts.

Specialised Diplomas

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the ability of schools and colleges to deliver 17 diplomas at three levels alongside GCSEs and A-levels; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: We do not expect any single institution to offer all diplomas. Rather, diplomas will be taught by consortia of schools, colleges, and work-based learning providers, working in partnership with the local authority and employers. Schools and colleges will be able to play to their strengths in offering the qualifications, including diplomas, GCSEs, and A-levels, at which they excel. In addition, we have established an extensive package of support for those areas involved in the delivery of diplomas.

Specialised Diplomas

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether he plans to simplify the diploma structure; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Diplomas have been designed by employers in collaboration with representatives from universities, schools and colleges to be attractive and engaging for learners. Through this extensive consultation, we have ensured that the diploma has a clear structure which comprises three key elements—principal learning, generic learning and additional and specialist learning. Principal learning will give students a strong grounding in the skills and knowledge relevant to the sector or subject of their choice. Generic learning will ensure young people develop the basic literacy, numeracy and ICT skills, and skills such as the ability to communicate clearly and to work well in teams which employers want and provide better research, independent study and critical thinking skills that the universities have told us they want. The only variable aspect of the diploma will be additional and specialist learning, which allows students to personalise their programme of study, adding breadth or depth from a range of different qualifications, including A-Levels and GCSEs. As with all major reforms, we recognise it will take time to become familiar with the new diploma offer and that is why we are introducing them in a phased and planned build up, working closely with local consortiums to ensure that schools and colleges are well prepared to teach the diplomas.

Specialised Diplomas: Assessments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of the marks awarded for each diploma will be awarded on the basis of  (a) internal assessment and  (b) internal assessment of extended projects; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The majority of the assessment of the Diploma will be of a controlled internal nature, with some external assessment. Controlled internal assessment will account for a significant part of the assessment for Principal Learning from 87 per cent. at level 1 to 66 per cent. at level 3 depending on the Diploma line. Assessment for the Project will be undertaken locally. At each level the proportion of external assessment is specified, approximately 12 per cent., 20 per cent. and up to 30 per cent. at levels 1, 2 and 3 respectively.
	The Department has commissioned the National Assessment Agency (NAA) to develop a national approach which will ensure high standards across the internal assessment elements of the Diploma. This includes defining key roles that will support internal assessment at a local level and developing a good practice guide for centres that sets out the responsibilities of key assessor roles and provides examples of good practice in internal assessment. This information will be available in May 2008. In addition, NAA will design professional development programmes for teachers and trainers.

Specialised Diplomas: Rural Areas

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the ability of all schools in rural areas to offer access to all 17 diploma lines; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Diplomas will be taught by consortia of schools, colleges, and work-based learning providers, working in partnership with the local authority, employers, and higher education institutions. As such, not every school will be providing each diploma itself, but young people from those schools will be able to access diplomas in other consortium institutions, including in rural areas.

Sports: Capital Investment

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much capital funding was allocated to sports facilities in schools in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The Department allocates capital to local authorities and schools, and then relies on the local community to prioritise how it is spent between school buildings, sports facilities, playing fields and other capital assets. Accordingly, it does not maintain central records on how much capital has been allocated to sports facilities or playing fields.
	Since 1997, total capital allocations have increased from under £0.7 billion per annum to a planned £21.9 billion over the next three year period.

Teachers

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many secondary school teachers were employed in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the north-east and  (d) England in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many primary school teachers were employed in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the north-east and  (d) England in each year since 1997;
	(3)  how many teaching assistants were employed in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the north-east and  (d) England in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The following table provides the full-time equivalent number of local authority maintained primary and secondary teachers and teaching assistants employed in local authority maintained schools in Jarrow constituency, South Tyneside local authority, north-east Government office region and England in each January, 1997 to 2007.
	
		
			  Full-time equivalent number of local authority maintained nursery/primary and secondary school teachers and teaching assistants employed in local authority maintained schools in Jarrow constituency, South Tyneside local authority, north-east Government office region and England in each January, 1997 to 2007 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002( 1)  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			  Jarrow( 2) 
			 Nursery/ Primary 360 350 350 350 360 340 330 320 310 310 300 
			 Secondary 300 300 310 320 340 360 350 350 350 360 360 
			 Teaching Assistants 90 90 100 100 140 200 150 230 240 260 260 
			 
			  South Tyneside( 3) 
			 Nursery/ Primary 700 690 690 640 680 660 630 630 610 590 580 
			 Secondary 590 580 610 590 650 700 690 680 670 720 680 
			 Teaching Assistants(2) 160 160 160 180 250 350 280 420 440 470 440 
			 
			  North East( 3) 
			 Nursery Primary 10,400 10,280 10,310 10,190 10,350 10,440 10,210 10,170 10,050 10,070 10,020 
			 Secondary 10,790 10,650 10,640 10,740 11,070 11,380 11,340 11,270 11,430 11,440 11,450 
			 Teaching Assistants(2) 2,870 2,990 3,130 3,450 4,280 4,010 5,060 5,630 6,430 6,930 7,450 
			 
			  England( 3) 
			 Nursery/ Primary 191,670 190,100 191,120 193,100 194,960 197,370 197,430 196,640 196,270 198,190 197,100 
			 Secondary 189,430 189,580 191,780 193,200 196,680 203,170 206,870 211,000 215,060 216,290 216,850 
			 Teaching Assistants(2) 60,580 65,540 69,600 79,020 94,990 105,360 121,190 132,060 147,000 153,100 162,990 
			 (1) A change of School Census collection method in 2002 may have caused some discontinuity in time series data. (2) Source: School Census. (3) Source: The annual survey of Teachers in Service and Teacher Vacancies, 618g.  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

Teachers

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schoolteachers there are; and how many of them have qualifications in physical education.

Jim Knight: There were 197,100 nursery and primary full-time equivalent regular teachers and 216,800 secondary teachers employed in local authority maintained schools in England in January 2007, the latest information available. It is not known how many of these have qualifications in physical education.
	Information on the number of secondary school teachers teaching physical education and the level of qualification they hold in the subject is available for England from the Secondary Schools Curriculum and Staffing Survey (SSCSS) which is an occasional sample survey last conducted in 2002 and 2007. 2007 figures are expected to be published in May 2008.
	The following table provides the number of full-time teachers employed in maintained secondary schools by the highest post A level qualification held in the subjects they teach in 2002 from SSCSS.
	
		
			  Teachers in Service: Full-time teachers in maintained secondary schools—Highest post A level qualifications( 1)  held in the subjects they teach( 2)  to year groups 7-13, England 
			   Percentages  
			   Degree( 3)  BEd  PGCE  Cert Ed  Other Qual.  No Qual.  Total teachers (Thousand) 
			 Mathematics 42 ± 3 15 ± 2 9 ± 2 7 ± 1 2 ± 1 24 ± 2 28.2 
			 English 51 ± 3 15 ± 2 7 ± 1 6 ± 1 1 ± 1 20 ± 2 29.4 
			 
			 Combined/General science 62 ± 3 12 ± 2 10 ± 2 4 ± 1 1 ± 1 11 ± 2 28.3 
			 Biology(4) 71 ± 5 7 ± 3 11 ± 4 3 ± 2 - ± 1 7 ± 3 5.6 
			 Chemistry(4) 72 ± 5 6 ± 3 12 ± 4 1 ± 1 1 ± 1 7 ± 3 5.2 
			 Physics(4) 63 ± 6 11 ± 4 15 ± 4 3 ± 2 - ± - 8 ± 3 4.7 
			 Other sciences(4) 10 ± 6 4 ± 4 5 ± 4 - ± - - ± - 80 ± 8 1.6 
			 
			 French 54 ± 3 7 ± 2 10 ± 2 3 ± 1 2 ± 1 23 ± 3 16.0 
			 German 47 ± 5 6 ± 3 13 ± 4 1 ± 1 2 ± 1 30 ± 5 6.9 
			 Spanish 37 ± 7 8 ± 4 19 ± 6 - ± - 3 ± 2 33 ± 7 3.6 
			 Other modern languages 18 ± 8 - ± - 9 ± 7 - ± - 3 ± 4 71 ±10 1.4 
			 
			 Design and technology(5) 26 ± 3 20 ± 3 7 ± 2 21 ± 3 2 ± 1 24 ± 3 20.9 
			 ICT(5, 6) 13 ± 2 6 ± 1 8 ± 2 2 ± 1 3 ± 1 69 ± 3 18.9 
			 Other/Combined technology(5) 30± 1 0 13 ± 8 16 ± 7 18 ± 9 2 ± 3 20 ± 9 1.6 
			 
			 Business studies 30 ± 5 11 ± 4 9 ± 3 4 ± 2 3 ± 2 43 ± 5 6.5 
			 Classics 33 ± 7 - ± - 2 ± 4 2 ± - - ± - 63 ± 7 1.0 
			 History 57 ± 4 9 ± 2 6 ± 2 6 ± 2 - ± - 23 ± 3 13.7 
			 Religious education 22 ± 3 8 ± 2 8 ± 2 4 ± 1 2 ± 1 57 ± 4 14.2 
			 Geography 53 ± 4 9 ± 2 6 ± 2 5 ± 2 1 ± 1 25 ± 3 13.7 
			 Other social studies 35 ± 5 6 ± 3 2 ± 2 2 ± 1 - ± 1 54 ± 6 4.9 
			 Combined arts/humanities/ social studies 5 ± 3 4 ± 2 7 ± 3 1 ± 1 1 ± 1 83 ± 5 5.3 
			 
			 Music 59 ± 5 15 ± 4 5 ± 2 6 ± 3 2 ± 2 13 ± 4 6.3 
			 Drama 25 ± 4 10 ± 3 12 ± 3 6 ± 2 2 ± 1 45 ± 5 8.1 
			 Art and design 54 ± 4 10 ± 3 7 ± 2 9 ± 3 1 ± 1 20 ± 4 9.3 
			 Physical education 25 ± 3 31 ± 3 6 ± 2 13 ± 2 2 ± 1 22 ± 2 21.4 
			 Careers education 2 ± 2 1 ± 2 3 ± 3 4 ± 4 3 ± 4 87 ± 7 1.5 
			 PSHE(6) 1 ± - 1 ± - 2 ± 1 1 ± - - ± - 95 ± 1 61.4 
			 General studies 1 ± 1 2 ± 1 1 ± 1 - ± 1 - ± - 95 ± 2 7.1 
			 Citizenship 2 ± 1 1 ± 1 2 ± 1 - ± 1 - ± - 94 ± 2 9.0 
			 Other — — — — — — 32.8 
			 
			 Total(2, 7) 33 ± - 10 ±- 7 ± - 5 ± - 1 ± - 44 ± - 388.4 
			 '-' = zero or less than 0.5. (1) Where a teacher has more than one post A level qualification in the same subject, the qualification level is determined by the highest level reading from left (Degree) to right (Other Qual.). For example, teachers shown under PGCE have a PGCE but not a degree or BEd in the subject, while those with a PGCE and a degree are shown only under Degree. (2) Teachers are counted once against each subject which they are teaching. (3) Includes higher degrees but excludes BEds. (4) Teachers qualified in combined/general science are treated as qualified to teach biology, chemistry, or physics. Teachers qualified in biology, chemistry or physics are treated as qualified to teach combined/general science. (5) Teachers qualified in other/combined technology are treated as qualified to teach design and technology or information and communication technology. Teachers qualified in design and technology or information and communication technology are treated as qualified to teach other/combined technology. (6) Information and Communication Technology is abbreviated as ICT and Personal Social and Health Education is abbreviated as PSHE. (7) 'Other' not included in total percentages.  Source: Secondary Schools Curriculum and Staffing Survey 2002.

Teachers: Resignations

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many teachers under 60 years old have left the profession since 1997.

Jim Knight: Provisional estimates show that in March 2006 there were 104,580 qualified teachers under age 60 who had left the English local authority maintained sector since January 1997 and were still out of recorded service. This figure excludes teachers who have been awarded retirement benefits and includes those who have left service temporarily. An unknown number will be in service in other education sectors or establishments which are not part of the teachers' pensions scheme.
	The information provided is from the database of teacher records which is maintained on behalf of the Department for pension administration purposes.

Teachers: Retirement

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many teachers retired from the profession in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: I refer the hon. Member to the following website
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000743/index.shtml
	using excel link "Additional tables giving information on teacher retirements". The information can be found in Table H1 of the workbook, copies of which have been placed in the House Libraries.
	
		
			  Table H1: Retirements from local authority maintained schools( 1) —  Type of award by sex and year of award. Year: 1989-90 to 2006-07—Coverage: England 
			   Premature ( 2)  Age  Ill-health ( 3)  Total 
			  Financial year (1 April to 31 March)  Men  Women  Men and Women  Men  Women  Men and Women  Men  Women  Men and Women  Men  Women  Men and Women 
			 1989-90( 4) 3,220 4,840 8,060 960 2,550 3,500 1,270 2,310 3,580 5,440 9,700 15,140 
			 1990-91( 4) 3,000 4,740 7,740 890 2,610 3,500 1,420 2,860 4,280 5,310 10,210 15,520 
			 1991-92 (4) 2,470 4,070 6,530 810 2,360 3,170 1,390 2,640 4,030 4,660 9,070 13,730 
			 1992-93 (4) 2,760 4,400 7,170 750 2,560 3,310 1,440 2,610 4,050 4,950 9,580 14,530 
			 1993-94 (4) 3,180 4,860 8,030 850 2,580 3,430 1,840 2,990 4,820 5,860 10,420 16,290 
			 1994-95 (4) 2,730 4,390 7,120 780 2,740 3,520 1,970 3,310 5,290 5,490 10,440 15,930 
			 1995-96 (4) 3,360 5,240 8,600 760 2,720 3,480 1,870 3,290 5,160 5,990 11,250 17,240 
			 1996-97 (4) 3,840 6,370 10,210 700 2,600 3,300 1,810 3,170 4,980 6,360 12,130 18,490 
			 1997-98 (4) 4,350 7,020 11,370 810 2,770 3,580 1,200 2,070 3,260 6,350 11,860 18,210 
			 1998-99 (4) 950 1,430 2,370 840 2,990 3,840 850 1,440 2,290 2,640 5,860 8,500 
			 1999-2000 (4) 1,140 1,520 2,650 1,000 3,280 4,280 860 1,470 2,320 2,990 6,260 9,250 
			 2000-01 (4) 1,270 1,890 3,160 1,000 3,240 4,240 1,040 1,590 2,630 3,300 6,720 10,020 
			 2001-02 (4) 1,330 2,150 3,470 1,090 3,350 4,440 920 1,460 2,380 3,340 6,950 10,290 
			 2002-03( 4) 1,510 2,450 3,960 1,290 3,720 5,010 770 1,260 2,030 3,580 7,420 11,000 
			 2003-04 (4) 1,910 3,030 4,930 1,420 4,160 5,580 770 1,100 1,870 4,090 8,290 12,380 
			 2004-05 (4,5) 2,400 3,660 6,060 1,660 4,830 6,490 620 950 1,580 4,690 9,440 14,120 
			 2005-06 (4,5) 2,660 3,990 6,640 1,610 4,730 6,330 570 930 1,500 4,830 9,650 14,480 
			 2006-07 (4,5) 2,950 4,510 7,460 2,000 6,300 8,300 390 700 1,090 5,340 11,510 16,850 
			 (1) Excludes sixth form colleges. (2) The effect of the change in the Teachers' Pension Scheme as from 31 August 1997 was that many more teachers took early retirement in 1997 than in previous years. Premature includes Actuarially Reduced Benefit retirements from 2000-01. (3) Changes in the statutory regulations governing ill-health retirement came into force on 1 April 1997. To qualify for ill-health retirement benefits a teacher must now be regarded as permanently unfit to teach. (4) All years are subject to slight revision due to the addition of retrospective awards and suspension of pension benefits where teachers return to service. (5) 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 are provisional estimates.  Source:  Pensioner Statistical System (PENSTATS).